NAVI Ruxic: “I play this game every day, 10 hours a day. If you don’t take risks, you can’t win”

Uğur "Ruxic" Güç has been one of the stars of NAVI's winning streak at the VCT EMEA 2026: Kickoff stage. Led by former pro-player ANGE1, this team's firepower has been a surprise at the beginning of the season. Now, they need two more victories to qualify for Masters Santiago. Will they be able to do it?

In an interview with esports.gg, Ruxic expressed hope that the team can reach the international stage, but emphasized that they first need to approach each match with caution.

On the international stage, NAVI only competed twice in 2023, finishing 4th in São Paulo and 11th–12th at Masters Tokyo. However, they are more than ready to change the stats in 2026 and bring some happiness to the NAVI fans.

After a clean victory over Karmine Corp in the first match of the VCT EMEA 2026: Kickoff stage, they defeated Team Heretics by 2-1. While the first two maps were close, the third one was a showcase of skill from NAVI, ending 13-6.

The team will now face Gentle Mates, who are also on an impressive winning streak. The winner goes straight to the Upper Bracket final to fight for the first spot at the Masters Santiago.

According to Ruxic, regardless of who NAVI faces, the team focuses on itself. “We don’t play based on the opponent. We play for ourselves. If we win, I’m happy. If we don’t, I’m sad. It’s as clear as water,” he said.

In an interview with esports.gg, TH Wo0t referred to Ruxic as one of the most unpredictable players in the region. "You always have to expect the unexpected from him, and we couldn’t do that," he said. The same thing was said by Ruxic's teammate, Dawid "Filu" Czarnecki, when he joined the team in 2026.

Ruxic sees himself as an aggressive player and someone who likes to create opportunities on the map, even when playing in the controller role. "I like to get into fights with smokers as well, but with Chamber is more comfortable," he explained. However, he admits that Chamber is not a consistent agent on all maps.

For him, it's all about knowing when to play aggro and when to fall back and let them waste all the ability on him. "I'm playing this game every day, 10 hours a day or something. If you're not taking risks, you can't win," he added. "I'll try to read the enemy, and if I manage to do it, I'll make a call. It's easy for me."

For Ruxic, the hardest part of his gameplay was learning to control his emotions after a loss. “When I first came to Tier 1, we lost two matches, and I got mad because I wasn’t used to losing,” he explained. “I had to learn how to react because I was getting so tilted. Now, I can say that I don’t get angry when I lose, because it’s going to happen. You need to lose to improve.”

Being led by one of the most experienced players in the esports industry, with a 20-year career, has been an incredible experience for Ruxic. "If something bad happens, he will understand it quickly and try to solve it as fast as possible. He's been in this industry for 20 years, maybe more. I'm 21 years old, I was not even born when he started to play," he laughed.

After ANGE1 retired to focus on his coaching career, Shao stepped into the role of in-game leader. The two already knew each other well, having both won the 2022 VALORANT Masters Copenhagen tournament with FunPlus Phoenix. In his new role, Shao has relied on ANGE1’s guidance to help lead a roster full of talented players.

As a second caller many times, Ruxic feels that Andrei "Shao" Kiprskii is doing a great job as the in-game leader. "ANGE1 is trying to help him with what he can. Even the rest of us are helping. I'm confident he will be a good IGL," NAVI Ruxic added.

Ruxic believes this roster has the potential to go further in the competition and qualify for the international stage. "We already have 60% chance of qualifying, and I think we will, if we keep playing like this," he stated. One of his wishes is to compete against other regions and meet new players, as that would be an incredible first experience for him.