In the world of Esports, every gamer’s journey is unique, filled with its own challenges, triumphs, and insights. Today, we’re diving deep into the gaming universe of Gucc107, a rising star in the Valorant scene. From his humble beginnings to his current standing in the world of professional gaming, Andrew ‘Gucc107’ Gutnichenko opens up about his experiences, strategies, and the waves he’s ridden in this dynamic, digital landscape.
From sharing his evolving approach to Valorant to how he deals with the pressure of high-stakes tournaments, Gucc107 offers a rare glimpse into the life of a pro gamer. He discusses everything from the funniest moments on his streams, to the most overrated weapon in Valorant, and even his own unique pre-game rituals.
Whether you’re an aspiring professional Valorant player looking for advice, or just a fan wanting to know more about the person behind the screen, this blog is for you. Prepare to embark on an exciting journey into the gaming world alongside Gucc107!
If you were to compare yourself to a Valorant agent, who would it be and why?
Harbor, Esports is like a wave, lots of ups and downs but either way you gotta ride the waves like Harbor if you want to make it.
How has your strategy and approach to Valorant evolved since you first started playing?
My strategy and approach have evolved significantly. When I first started playing Valorant, I just wanted to be the guy dropping 30 kills every game on Raze or Phoenix with some crazy clips. As you progress as a player, you start to realize kills and flashiness are nowhere near as important as being a good teammate. It doesn’t matter how many kills you may have, as long as you are doing your job in your role, communicating well, and setting up your team for success, you’re doing a much better job at winning the game, compared to the baiting Reyna or Jett going in third into the site, not communicating, but getting 3 or 4 exit frags before losing the round.
What’s the funniest or most embarrassing moment you’ve had while streaming?
My most embarrassing moment was likely about five years ago when I was streaming, and got into a pickup game with Brax. I fanboyed a bit too hard and a funny clip came out of it where I got excited because he said my name as a joke.
How do you handle the pressure of competing in high-stakes tournaments?
Handling pressure in high-stakes tournaments for me was a skill that took a long time to learn. When I first started competing, I would literally get nervous and shake versus the most random teams in 1k open tournaments, or if I had a big pro on my team in ranked games. After a while and lots of experience playing against the biggest teams and biggest names, you kind of just get used to it, and learn to keep your composure. All it took for me was time and experience, and it was actually my biggest issue for a while as nerves affect you much MORE than people think.
What’s the most amusing rage quit you’ve ever witnessed during a game?
No rage quits. EVER.
What advice would you give to aspiring professional Valorant players?
The best advice I can give to anyone aspiring to go pro is to give it time, do NOT burn bridges no matter who the person may be, and ALWAYS play to improve. Analyze why you died or lost your game, instead of just thinking “oh, I got unlucky or my team was bad”. There is always something you could have done differently which may have impacted the game’s outcome.
What’s the most overrated weapon in Valorant, in your opinion?
The Vandal, but only slightly. Even though the Phantom headshots for 140, it’s much more consistent, has no tracers, more bullets, and usually if you headshot someone you will get the kill 99% of the time anyways due to aim-punch on the enemy.
How do you balance your personal life and your professional gaming career?
I don’t (kind of). Playing pro takes up LARGE amounts of time, even before you are “pro”, and NOTHING is guaranteed. I unfortunately had to sacrifice many things like relationships and school in my life, and even then I still haven’t made it to the level I strive to be at. The best thing to do is make sure you are living healthy. It’s honestly not worth it to go pro since the chance of you “making it” is very minimal, and even if you do “make it”, there is no guarantee you will stay in the scene long. However, if it is something you KNOW you want to do, focus on staying and eating healthy, focus on relationships inside and outside of the game, and balance your grind to make sure you do NOT burn out, as that will kill all of the time you spent getting to where you are.
What is the strangest superstition or pre-game ritual that you follow before a match?
The “strangest” thing I do before every match/game is that I wash my hands every time during Agent select. I like to keep things consistent and that helps me a lot with consistency to ensure my hand feels the same every time a new game starts. In addition to that, before I warm up for the day, I almost do a full-body stretch, focusing mainly on my hands to make sure they’re nimble and ready to game, haha.
Can you share a key moment or turning point in your gaming career that has significantly impacted your success?
I honestly got very lucky when it comes to my success. I was playing ranked one day and had St4n add me after the game, asking if I wanted to trial for his team. As soon as he linked me his HLTV, I was down. A day later, we started practice, and my first ever scrim was against Andbox/NYFU at the time. I was VERY nervous, yet we stomped them, and that made me realize that I could potentially do something in Valorant.
Join Gucc107 in Nashville on May 27th as Omnic Data partners with Belong Gaming Arenas to unveil the cutting-edge Omnic Forge, an AI-powered esports coaching and data analytics platform that’s set to revolutionize the gaming experience.