Souvenir skins now work in Trade Up Contracts
· Tournament Items and Features
Buy underpriced low-tier Souvenir inputs only where trade-up math works. Sell or avoid normal fodder that just lost scarcity to a new pool of souvenir supply.
5 calls · top 2 free
Cheap Souvenir trade-up inputs
Souvenir skins gained a new use. Floors on eligible low-tier souvenirs should reprice toward their trade-up input value, especially where sellers listed them as dead inventory.
The play
Scan Industrial, Mil-Spec and Restricted souvenirs by collection. Buy only below normal input EV, after fees. Size small until calculators update odds.
- Horizon
- Next 48 hours
- Risk
- Medium
Overpriced normal trade-up fodder
Normal inputs now compete with souvenir inputs. Any normal skin priced mainly on trade-up scarcity can lose support if cheaper souvenirs fill the same contract slots.
The play
Trim normal fodder that spiked before this patch. Rebuy only if spreads settle and souvenir inputs are no longer cheaper.
- Horizon
- Next 1–2 weeks
- Risk
- Medium
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HOLD
High-end Souvenir skins
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AVOID
Cologne 2026 tournament items at launch
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AVOID
Souvenir items above trade-up value
3 more calls, plus what to watch and what would make this wrong
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What Valve changed
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“The IEM Cologne 2026 Major Hub is now available.”
New Major demand starts, with tournament items and Pick'Em activity live.
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“Visit the hub to purchase tournament items, play the Pick'Em Challenge and more.”
Fresh Major items enter the market cycle. Launch prices are usually unstable.
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“Purchase a Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass to receive an upgradable Cologne 2026 Coin.”
Viewer Pass demand starts, but this is not a direct scarcity event for old items.
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“Souvenir quality items can now be selected in Trade Up Contract alongside normal quality items.”
Souvenir skins now have trade-up utility instead of being dead-end collectors' items.
Valve's original patch notes
- The IEM Cologne 2026 Major Hub is now available. Visit the hub to purchase tournament items, play the Pick'Em Challenge and more.
- Purchase a Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass to receive an upgradable Cologne 2026 Coin. With an active pass, you can upgrade your coin and earn rewards by playing the Pick'Em Challenge. Additionally, you will show up on the Active Pass Leaderboard where you can compare your Pick'Em Challenge performance to your friends.
- Fixed a case of incorrect scoreboard timeline presentation in overtime.
- Fixed weapon entities disallowing pickup from showing pick up weapon hint text.
- Increased spectator in-eye flash amount.
- Souvenir quality items can now be selected in Trade Up Contract alongside normal quality items. All Souvenir attributes will be removed from any souvenir items selected, and the result of a Trade Up Contract will be a single normal item of a quality one higher, from a collection of all of the items selected for exchange.
- Fixed a case where tire fire particles were flickering in the advanced video preview.
- Adjusted finger animation on Bayonet model.
Written by AI from Valve's patch notes and told to be critical. Information, not financial advice: skin prices can fall as fast as they rise.