Since 2005, ElamiteWarrior, who goes by the name of Kyle Elam in the real world, has climbed the ranks through Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach to be one of the most successful Halo players of all time. He is one of the only international players winning events overseas and is the reigning FFA US Champion. He has transitioned from competing and is now the premier Halo 4 caster/commentator.
Elam has won tournaments in several different Halo installments, including the 2008 MLG National Championship for $100,000 and the US Championship for $50,000. He has the best record for Halo 3 and high placings in Halo Reach, and also casted the first ever Halo 4 tournament.
Q: How long have you been Halo?
Kyle Elam: I’ve been playing since 2005.
Q: What are some of your favorite aspects of the Halo series?
KE: I’ve always enjoyed competitive first-person shooters, and going into the Halo series it really was just the best one, the most competitive one and the most popular one around.
Q: How would you describe your playing style?
KE: I’ve always been somewhat of a support/objective player. I’ve always been known to do whatever needs to be done — fill in whatever holes need to be filled in during a game in order to win. I always kind of adapt, depending on if the team needs to get more objectives, pick up a flag and run it more — whatever suits the case.
Q: What would you say your biggest strengths are as a player?
KE: My biggest strengths are leadership, communication and map-awareness — playing to win, basically.
Q: Are there any parts of your game that you feel aren’t as strong as the others?
KE: I’ve never been as good of a sniper as some players I’ve seen. There are always some players in the league that are known as the best slayers and snipers. I’ve never really focused on that. I’ve always been more of a teamwork-oriented player rather than someone that plays to put up big stats.
Q: Is that because you’re not interested in playing that way or it’s nothing something that you enjoy?
KE: I kind of look at it as being formed by the teams you’re on initially, as you begin playing. When I first started, that was the role I fell into on the teams I was on.
It’s weird that everyone has such different play styles. Even before I went pro, there were certain pro players that I’d watch, and I’d try to adapt their styles into mine and implement things that I thought they did well. I’d see things and try to add it to my own game.
Q: What kind of players do you like to have on your team? What kind of skills complement your own?
KE: I like selfless players that are just playing to win. Good communicators — because the more information every knows, the more likely everyone is on the same page, and the more likely you are to be successful in the game.
Q: For players that are just starting to get into competitive Halo, what are some pieces of advice you’d give them?
KE: For people that are new to the scene, I would definitely suggest watching the pros play. It’s like before I was pro — I learned by watching people with similar play styles and people that I wanted to play like. You just kind of mold yourself into those players. There’s so much to learn because they have so much experience and so many hours logged into the game. You can save yourself a lot of time and get a lot better, a lot faster just by watching the pros.
Q: How about for more advanced players? What would you suggest they focus on?
KE: When it comes to the later Halos, it comes down to teamwork. We talked briefly about awareness and communication. Those go into building teamwork and chemistry. There are certain techniques you’d use, like a bait-and-switch, where it’s all about working with teammates — the different angles you take on the map, how you position yourself when you’re shooting. Good communication makes it so that you can help your teammates but also avoid damage.
You can have an enemy player looking at you while you’re helping your teammates, but he’s not actually able to shoot you. So you’re effectively taking one enemy player out of the game while he’s trying kill you, while you’re still engaged in the battle and helping your teammates.
Q: What goes into effective team communication? How do draw the line between constant chatter and economical communication?
KE: A lot of people just call out positions of the opposing team, but what it really comes down to is telling your teammates what you’re doing and what they need to be doing. Saying, “I’m coming. I’ve got your help. Stay alive.” is much more important then saying, “Red landing.” That gives your teammate a much better idea of what to do. More involved callouts, rather than just calling out positions, helps make teamwork happen.
Q: You spoke about watching pro players when you were first getting started. Who are some of the pro players that you admire?
KE: Some of them aren’t around now, but some of the bigger names are still playing. Ogre 2 was always someone I admired. His teammate Saiyan was another guy. Shockwave and Ghostayame are up there too.
Q: Are there any Halo-specific Twitter feeds you think players should follow?
KE: @TheHaloCouncil is definitely one. @Halowaypoint is probably the biggest Halo update feed. I also recommend following any pro players that you like.
Published: Nov 8, 2012 03:44 pm