At the beginning of the Summer Season, Enigma6 came in last at the PAX East Invitational, but they now sit comfortably in second place in the HCS Pro League with one week left to play. Cuyler “Huke” Garland has been nothing short of sensational all season, and took some time to talk to us this week about the past season and the upcoming Finals.
ESL: Huke, tell us a bit about your history. How did you get involved with Halo, and how did you get involved with Enigma6?
Huke: I always played Halo when I was younger back in Halo 3, not competitive or anything, but then I moved on to CoD. What brought be to competitive Halo was about 7 months ago whenever they made CoD 18 and over, which made me want to play Halo. I’ve known the Enigma6 people for a about a year now, before I started playing Halo.
ESL: You played for E6 while you played Call of Duty, right? How did you and the organization agree to a transition to Halo?
Huke: I Played on E6 for about a month in Black ops 3 with an all underage team because that was when the rules were different. So it wasn't really a real team, but when Bubu, Cratos, Shooter, and myself formed we were looking for an organization and I instantly wanted to ask Enigma6 because I knew they were great.
ESL: You and your teammate, bubu dubu, have taken the competitive Halo scene by storm since you started playing last season. How have you seen yourself grow and improve in that small amount of time?
Huke: I’ve been seeing a lot of improvement in my gameplay since I started playing, especially in the last couple of months. When I first switched I didn't want to waste my time and not go anywhere with it, so I really dived into it and played so much Halo and watched a lot of streams to get better every day. My end goal was to make sure I didn't regret my decision, and that was my motivation to get good.
ESL: You and the rest of your team have seen a fair amount of ups and downs this season. From getting last at the PAX East Invitational, to taking down the Titans of CLG in Week 4. What do you attribute your team's emergence to?
Huke: Going into PAX we were a new team but we knew what we were capable of, so going there and not succeeding, that motivated us to really start grinding and fixing our mistakes.
ESL: What would you say has been the greatest aid in that improvement process?
Huke: The most important thing that helped us get better was that we all get along really well and take criticism well.
ESL: What do you believe is keeping Enigma6 from being considered among the likes of Final Boss in H2, Evil Geniuses in H2A, and now CLG in H5?
Huke: We're playing well, but to be compared to them is a stretch, we would need to win a few times to be in that conversation. We just have to stay consistent and only time will tell
ESL: How is Enigma6 different from when you played for Denial last season?
Huke: The difference is that we practice a lot more and we get along better. My previous team was so talented and we did well at tournaments, but the team chemistry is so much better with E6 and I think that is a more important factor.
ESL: Who would you say is the backbone of this team? Who keeps you together when you get down in a series?
Huke: Our coach Showtime is usually the one who keeps us focused throughout the whole series and makes sure we keep our composure when we're down.
ESL: You're nearing the end of the season and fighting for a seeding spot in the Summer Finals. What are your predictions on how your team will finish the season?
Huke: I’m not going to predict anything, but we're hoping to win our last two matches and secure the second seed going into the tournament.
ESL: Last question before I let you go: Who on your team is most likely to lay a goose egg?
Huke: Probably my duo Bubu Dubu considering he did it the other day.
ESL: Thanks for your time!
Huke: Thanks for having me!
Enigma6 is one week away from securing the second seed in the Summer Season Finals. If you want to see the action yourself you can catch it all on the Halo Twitch channel and follow along on both Facebook and Twitter. The show starts at 5PM PDT on Thursday, July 14, so be sure to tune in!
