"I’m shooting well, but it’s not enough" – Ruxic on NAVI exit from EMEA Stage 2

It was do or die for Natus Vincere as they faced off against GIANTX in a rematch during the third lower round of playoffs. The pressure was on, and unfortunately, NAVI couldn’t handle the heat, ending their journey in VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Stage 2. THESPIKE.GG caught up with NAVI’s Smoke specialist, Uğur "Ruxic" Güç, to break down their playoff exit and dive into his standout performance in Stage 2.

Out of Playoffs

NAVI entered the playoffs with a solid 3-2 record after the group stage. Their playoff run, therefore, started in the upper bracket. But things quickly took a turn as they lost their first match to GIANTX and were forced into the lower bracket. Despite the rough start, NAVI bounced back and sent both Team Vitality and Team Heretics home in a 2-0 fashion. The third match in the lower bracket, however, didn’t go as planned.

The rematch against GIANTX kicked off with NAVI showing dominance on Icebox. The squad then ran into big problems on Sunset—something the team was expecting, according to Ruxic. They went into the match knowing it would come down to the decider map, Haven.

“To be honest, I knew we were going to lose on Sunset. Last time we played them on Haven, they won. We tried to fix our mistakes, but it looks like it didn’t work. And we just lost; they played better.”

The loss against GIANTX means that NAVI’s VCT journey is officially over this season. For Ruxic, it’s especially tough, as this was his first year in VCT and missing out on another international event stings.

“It’s bad. It’s my first year in VCT. I didn’t go to Champions or Masters, and that's bad for me. But I will go next year, I hope. I will try my best.”

Personal performance

Despite NAVI’s playoff exit, Ruxic’s individual performance in Stage 2 was nothing short of phenomenal. At the time of their elimination, he held the highest rating, ACS, KD, and ADR among the EMEA Stage 2 players.

Ruxic’s Statistics

• Rating: 1.28
• ACS: 246.4
• K:D: 1.26
• ADR: 159.4

When asked about his impressive performance, Ruxic shared that he’s been putting in the work, grinding day in and day out, and blocking out distractions. Even though he was on top of his game in the Turkish League in 2024, he feels like he’s really leveled up this year.

“It looks like I'm in my prime. I’m shooting well, but it’s not enough; we lost.”

Agressive playstyle

As a Controller, Ruxic has made a name for himself on Omen and Viper. The way he plays the role is quite different from other players. While most Controller players are cautious, afraid of dying and leaving their team without smokes, Ruxic thrives on aggression and risk-taking—an approach that often catches his opponents off-guard.

“People generally are scared to die because if you die as a smoker, your team doesn’t have smokes, and that’s very bad. But I’m not scared because I trust myself. I just take safe positions with my team, and because of this, people don’t expect those moves.”

Playing on NAVI

Ruxic joined NAVI in December 2024, having previously played in the Turkish league for Fire Flux Esports. The transition to NAVI wasn’t easy, as the language barrier posed a big problem. Previously being on only Turkish teams made it a real challenge for Ruxic to switch to English.

“In the beginning, it was hard for me because my English was bad. I started getting English lessons twice a week, and I was talking with my friends in English, even with Hiro. I’m a little bit more comfortable now, but in the beginning, it was hell for me.”

Being surrounded by more experienced players on the roster has also been a great learning opportunity for Ruxic. With their impressive careers, Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow, Andrey "Shao" Kiprsky, and head coach Vincent "Happy" Cervoni share their knowledge with the rookies, helping them level up quickly.

“It’s good for Hiro, alexiiik, and me. We’re young, and we’re getting experience easily because of them. If you make mistakes, they explain what not to do.”

Bright future

With NAVI now out of the playoffs, Ruxic’s future heading into the offseason is uncertain. He’s not sure what 2026 will bring, but his main goal is to stay in VCT. If he got to decide, he would build his own Turkish superteam with himself, Volkan "sociablEE" Yönal, Enes "RieNs" Ecirli, Emir "Alfajer" Ali Beder, and Mert "Wo0t" Alkan. Unfortunately, that is highly unlikely to happen.

Looking forward, his main focus is to qualify for the big stages and take a well-deserved vacation.

“I don’t have a plan. But next year, I want to go to an international event like Masters and Champions. I want to play internationally. But right now, I just want a vacation; I need rest.”

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Featured image credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games