MP5 Lab Rats Guide: All Red Rat Seed Patterns
The Lab Rats finish for the MP5 was introduced with the ‘Welcome to the Danger Zone’ update in 2018, as a part of the Blacksite Collection. The skin has had a rough history in terms of its value and demand. From the initial days when the hype was at its peak to a fall that saw the value of this finish diminish by up to 90%, the Lab Rats skin now lies largely ignored by the general community.
However, there are still those who keep it for sentimental value and collectors who will look out for those rare patterns. In this guide, we will go through each of its unique Red Rat patterns which transform the skin into something quite different from the regular offerings. So read on to find out more about these and how you can get one for your collection.
List Of Rare MP5 Lab Rats Seed Patterns
The complete list of rare patterns has been directly embedded below for your convenience, and in this section, we will explain what each category of the rare seed patterns for the Lab Rats finish has to offer:
| Group | Pattern Seeds |
|---|---|
| Handguard | 514, 510, 55, 570, 835, 777, 404, 552, 990, 939, 361, 572, 771 |
| Above Trigger | 625, 450, 471, 640, 736, 44, 343 |
| Silencer | 133, 297, 479, 979, 927, 590, 616, 174, 554, 424, 689, 845, 310 |
| Left Handguard | 104, 66, 255, 558, 706, 298, 119, 899, 519, 379 |
| Mama Handguard | 952, 182, 360, 234, 463, 103, 467, 773, 334, 546, 577, 598, 403, 605, 447, 124, 115 |
| Mama Silencer | 135, 984, 409, 87, 320, 913, 194, 694, 95, 983, 758 |
| Red Fade | 59, 237, 462, 797, 859, 212, 800, 864, 369, 740, 446 |
- Handguard: These are some of the most sought-after patterns for the MP5 Lab Rats, with a prominent Red Rat appearing on the hand-guard of the SMG. Seed 514 is considered to be the best in this tier, where the rat is placed closer to the body of the gun and is visible even when the gun is held in-game.
- Above Trigger: In this seed category, the singular Red Rat is placed on the body of the SMG, right above the trigger.
- Silencer: Seeds in this category have the Red Rat appearing on the barrel of the MP5.
- Left Handguard: In this category, seeds have the Red Rat pattern visible on the left part of the handguard. These are less popular than the Handguard category of seeds since the Red Rat is not visible while the weapon is held in-game, but only when it’s inspected.
- Mama Handguard: The Mama Handguard seeds are also quite popular among the community. In this category of patterns, a large red rat surrounded by others covers the entire handguard of the MP5, giving it a red hue.
- Mama Silencer: Patterns in this category are similar to the ones above, except that the Mama rat is now placed on the silencer of the MP5 instead of the handguard, turning it red.
- Red Fade: Seeds in this category have distinct patterns where the majority of the weapon surface, including the silencer, handguard, magazine, and the area above the trigger covered in mice with a red hue, overshadowing the gray color which is usually the most visible on other seeds. However, these patterns are not overly rare and can be found more commonly, and as a result, are usually available with little to no overpay.
How Do MP5 Lab Rats Patterns Work?
Similar to the Case Hardened finish, the MP5 Lab Rats patterns come from a pre-designed sheet which is transferred onto the weapon in a cookie cutter style. The transfer may deviate on the X-axis (Horizontally), Y-axis (Vertically), and it also has a possible rotation of 360 degrees, giving it 1000 different pattern variations. The Lab Rats design sheet has a drawing of a swarm of rats that covers the entire surface. The main colors are gray, with the snouts and paws of the rats being red, and eyes being blue. A large part of the center of the sheet is completely red, which makes the rats in this part stand out from the rest. On the top left is another single rat which is red with an angry expression on its face.
How Valuable Are These Rare MP5 Lab Rats Patterns?
For any rare patterns to become valuable, two of the most important criteria that need to be met are that the weapon it’s on must be popular, and second, the skin must have a large demand and low supply. The MP5 Lab Rats fulfills none of these criteria and therefore even its rare patterns can be found for under a dollar in most instances.
Obtaining A MP5 Lab Rats With Rare Pattern
The MP5 Lab Rats was only obtainable through an in-game drop after a player had acquired 250 XP points in the Danger Zone game mode when it was first introduced. There was no other way of obtaining this gun since it was not part of any case or purchasable collection. Today, there are only two ways of acquiring this weapon, which we will briefly go over.
Trading
The easiest way to trade is to visit the CS2 Trading forum on Steam and make a post stating the rare pattern you are looking for. If there is another community member who has the pattern you are looking for and is willing to trade, they may send you a trade offer, stating the items from your inventory he wants in exchange. You then have the option to either accept the trade as is, or make a counter-offer if you feel the trade is unfair.
Buying From Third-party Marketplaces
Perhaps the most efficient method for acquiring an MP5 Lab Rats with a rare pattern is to check out the various marketplaces that have it listed. You can also check out the Steam Community Market, since the price of the weapon is quite negligible, and won’t end up making any substantial difference to your wallet. However, the only downside to the SCM is that you have to inspect each weapon one at a time in-game to find out its seed pattern number. On most third-party marketplaces, you have the advantage of viewing it along with the listing. Besides, some of these sites even have the option for users to find specific seed numbers through a search bar, which might make your job of finding those rare patterns easier.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide has served its purpose of providing you with all there is to know about the rare Red Rat patterns for this finish, and if you count yourself among the niche out on a hunt for those rare seeds, you have a good idea of how to go about it. The low price of these seeds means you can have a unique-looking skin without having to sell an arm and a leg which is true for some rare seed-patterned skins in the game. However, if you are still unconvinced, you can check out all the other finishes for the MP5 to see if you can find something that better suits your taste than the Lab Rats!
