The Perfect Combination
There are many mysterious things in the world . Don’t you agree ?
The 7 wonders of the world , the unsolved crimes and murders , how government , politics , religion and financial institutions really work , and of course , women .
..women are just…too complicated . How they think , is a mystery .
You know , life is mysterious . That is why , life is beautiful .
Most of us will go ..“aiyah , so complicated ! just enjoy life . Don’t need to think too much lah”
Then we stop bothering about the mysteries in life . It is so damn hard to figure out stuff like that.
Damn , you are reaaaaally missing out the fun part in life 
..A mystery is really , really , INTERESTING .
Let me share with you , one of my favorite mysteries.
It is called ,
The Perfect Combination .
Why is it a mystery for me ?
A Combination has unlimited potential .There is no such thing as the perfect combination .
There are infinite permutations . You can never count the total number of combinations in the world .
A combination is something that will change , grow and evolve over time .
There are times when a simple combination will work . There are times when only a complicated combination will work .
Alright , i know you’re reading gapnap.com . A guitarist blog , so …i am probably going to talk about the combination of the 12 musical notes that form a nice melody.
Then , a group of nice melodies form a song . Right ?
Or a collection of ALL TYPES OF GUITARS ….am i really that predictable ?
Yes of course , that is beautiful . But i am not going to go there today .
I wanna talk about the perfect Combination between people .
A Team Combination . The Best Combination .
My blog title is misleading , because there will never be a best combination . But hey , we can always try for the fun of it .
Ask yourself this ,
What is the perfect combination for a team ?
I am talking about individual roles , personalities and abilities .
A leader , A manager , A designer , A practical , A problem solver ?
Agility , Strength , Thinker ?
When it comes to DOTA , we need a tanker , the engager , a killer , a spell caster , a supporter …
If your team are all killers . You are doomed .
A combination is also influenced ,
by TIME !
1000 years ago , people were still fighting with swords . They thought the best combination , was a bunch of people with a KING to lead them .
In war , its Melee , Range (Archers) , Catapults (Machines) , Attacks from Sea and A leader . That was their best combination .
There was a period of time , in certain countries, people thought Communism was the perfect combination and solution .
Afterwards , we have Democracy & Capitalism.
Today , people start to question democracy .
Is that “government” team the best we got?
Capitalism separates people , we can never unite as one , we can only unite when we have a common enemy .
Some people are looking at “Controlled Capitalism” , or “One world government” …
Crazy and complicated combination .
Take Religion for example ,
The Bible , talks ALOT about being an INDIVIDUAL .
How should YOU think , What is YOUR purpose in life , what should YOU DO . YOU should CARE FOR OTHERS . LOVE YOUR ENEMIES .
Its about , You and God , You and God , You and God ..Countless of it.
On Being an Individual is straight and clear , the 10 commandments , Sabbath day , Christian Faith .
But did the Bible said anything about , A Team ?
Maybe here and there , grey areas …but a defined one ? no .
That is why , Christians are separated , we are all different teams made out of different systems .
If God tells us , how to manage a CHURCH effectively . All the Christians in the world WILL BE united as one .
No more traditional catholic , the roman catholic , The Baptist , the Modern Charismatic…
Its funny , You know what i think about it ? God is a playful God . When he created us , he probably thought to himself ..”Hmmmm , okay …since the potential of a team combination is UNLIMITED , I will just put in the Bible on being an INDIVIDUAL and i shall give NO CLEAR answers on being a team .Let me just sit back , watch how humans evolve and enjoy all the different combination . Observe them and laugh at them from here hahahaha”
God has a great Sense of humor eh ?
I am into TEAM BUILDING . No no no , not that cheap seminar your company is going to send you next week .
Team building ,as in , forming teams based on personality and strength . A team that comprises of different skill sets and personalities .
Imagine a team where everybody is the same . Its like an army of all Archers in a war . Once you go close range they are doomed .
So far , here are my choice of combination . This is what i’ve learned throughout the years . A strong team .
1) The Tanker - Strength based personality . Most suitable to be the leader of the team . Able to take damage . The Tanker feels the effect FIRST when the opponent strikes . Makes major decisions and have the last say .
2) The Thinker - Intelligent , Evasive based personality . The management guy , the strategist , second man to the Leader . Prevent the team to fall for opponent’s strategy . Evades attacks and orchestrates counter attacks . He should be as influential as the leader .
*Some may argue , the brains SHOULD be the leader . I disagree . The thinker doesn’t take as much risk as The Tanker when it comes to decision making . The tanker is harder to die on a battle field , the presence of the TEAM LEADER MUST ALWAYS EXIST DURING A BATTLE .The tankers are usually more confident too .Thats the reason why , in football ..most defenders are the captain .
3) The Engager - Agile based . The guy who starts the fire . Running up and down just to distract and disturb the opponent .
4) The Defender - The guy who protects and watches over the team , whenever in danger . Also a great supporter for the leader and the damager
5) The all rounder / Play maker - Balance based . The playmaker of the game . Sets up situations for the team to win. Should be a spontaneous person since he can do everything . The Jack of All trades that covers one asses when one fall .
6) The Spy / Element of Surprise - Second strategist next to the thinker , highly unpredictable , understands and studies the opponent , Spy on the opponent , know every step of the opponent ..when they least expect , he strikes ! also a great supporter to the rest of the team .
7) The Damager- Attacking based .The person who BEATS the opponent hard . His job is to STRIKE the hardest . The secret weapon of the team . The KEY player .Situational changing type of person .
So , is your team complete ? Do you have all of them ?
If not , you know what is your team’s weakness already .
I build my business , business associate , bandmates based on this strategy .
Maybe it sounds very game-based . But hey , the biggest influence on this blog post was the first Justice League of America ; ) Not Dota .
You can apply it in Business , playing chess , being in a BAND , FOOTBALL , DOTA , group assignments ..whatever.
This team may not be the best , you know ..but its damn strong .
What you wanna avoid , is having 2 of the same kind . That way , things are going to clash and all the drama will occur .
Of course , this list is going to change …like i said , a combination will always evolve .So far , this combination works for me , the absolute best , lets see whether my list will change next year .
I guess thats the beauty of it .
I will never know what is the best combination .
One the the greatest mysteries in the world .
June 10th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
hey clem…my l4d team is not the best….but its damn strong hahaha..
yea i totally in full support of this post. thinking team is better than thinking individualistic especially when you have to work with people all the time.
my l4d team is comprised of the thinker, the defender, the all rounder and the damager. and wilson is in it. wanna play mou? not challenging though haha just friendly game.
June 10th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
cannot ler… Dota max in 1 team only 5 players. Have to sacrifice 2 position that you’ve mentioned.
June 10th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
@vincent: i happen to be the sacrifice
looks like there’s gonna be plenty of ‘assemble team’ action movies too like A-Team, The Expendables, Avengers..
June 11th, 2010 at 10:14 am
@vincent. woi , i sure lose lah. Change the game to counter strike please ..haahaha.
So what are you ? the thinker ah ? being a thinker sucks (cause i am always at that position)
@Kevin.Thats why the whole thing is interesting . You need 7 , but you can only pick 5 . Your combo is unlimited
@Lawolf . Avengers not very balance lahhh , they lack the thinker and a strategist . Nick Fury not counted lah. The balance one is Justice League , the italian job . yeah .
June 11th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I disagree.
Too many people and it could become a hassle, you need more equipment, more money, will tend to have miscommunication, no?
1) The Tanker. Read: The Muscle
Sure, you need the tanker, but isn’t the tanker usually the one who deals most damage anyways? He’s the one who kena the most risk. If his balls kena chop who’s going to lead?
2) The Thinker. Read: The Operations Strategist
The thinker is a must, yes, as influential as the leader, but must be balanced too, must be able to have a little bit of everything, to be able to defend, to attack and must have good timing. May not necesarily be the best at anything but must know enough about everything to plan. Most importantly, creative.
3) The Engager. Read: The Headliner
I think the Engager and the Spy must be able to work together very well, to coordinate so that the Spy can deal what he has to do. Must be able to take the risk also. Must be able to distract. To pull attention.
4) The Defender. The Boss.
I think this guy should be the leader, kind of like an Overlord. He won’t go out first yes, but if your team doesn’t manage to get past the first wave he must be there standing firm. Must be adequate at attacking and holding the enemy back. Emotionally the strongest in the hold team. Has good EQ and communication skills.
5)Playmaker. Read: The Umm… Playmaker
Must be fast and if not fast, must be able to control. In a football sense, (okay this is random la) Take Xabi Alonso. Isn’t very fast, yes, but his passes are so accurate that they are as important as the finishing. Must be able to take chances and act when a leader isn’t present, the 2nd in command. Must have adequate power to finish someone of but most importantly, willing to sacrifice for the sake of the team.
6) The Spy. Read: The Allrounder
Like I said, must work well with the Engager. Must be fast and creative, be able to improvise on the spot. Cause in certain situations where you need something done that instant and resources aren’t available to you you must use what you have. Must have foresight and plan for all scenarios. Must be able to use all weaponry given, example, good at sniping, spraying, backstabbing and disguise.
7) Attacker.
The tanker supports the attacker. Must have a certain amount of speed to finish the job fast enough and deal blows at a certain speed to take your opposition out before they get back up.
June 11th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
yes. i’m the strategiest.and i kinda like the position. if your team mates can follow. and luckily my team mates are quick at following a detail plan in a short time.
lol dude my position in the game is the brain not the brawn. i suck at shooting. i’m totally useless in a battlefield.
June 12th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
hey gap, best article so far. thumbs up!
June 13th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
@Issac . Seriously lor , WTF . that comment can be a blog post already . What are you disagreeing about ? Too many people on the squad ? dude , my team has 7 people . your team has 7 people too .
If you are disagreeing about the Captain as the Tanker Part . Its fine its your opinion . I am a more offensive kinda guy , and i believe the leader should be at the front line of the war
I am more of the China Chief General leading the attack guy , you are more of the “treat war as a chess game” type 
@vincent. Actually , can share with me abit ah ? how do you play “strategy” in L4D ? (yes this shows how noob i am in L4D)
Last time in counterstrike , i remember my clan’s strategy was based on probability and calculation . For example “at 1.46 (time) is the fastest this guy will reach this position ..shoot through door/throw grenade at this particular time and second etc” . How does L4D strategy goes ?
@rockalt . I was abit worried people do not understand this post . thanks bro
June 14th, 2010 at 12:06 am
@gapnap. i got play L4D with vince couple times. The L4D strategy to me isn’t very technical like the one you mention in CS, but it heavily depends on your character itself.
To me, the way L4D is played is to tactically use the environment objects to your advantage when 4 against 1000+ zombies. Your team will need to walk and hide and at the same time cover each others backs so that there’s always a help and a backup plan if something happens, so the whole team don’t get panicked and fuck up.
Of course not everyone has the same characteristics, so you’re free to play wadever role u want. Vince is the one that thinks the plan, thus u have a strategist. then you have a guy who is good at shooting, a guy good at leading, and a guy who is good at supporting.. then you have assembled urself a team.
L4D is slightly better than dota cuz its free role, whereas in dota the heroes are pre-made to play certain styles. if you try a different role, you might fuck urself.
June 14th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
LOL wondering whether to post THAT up on my blog mou
Yeah I guess like that…
And yeah… I didn’t read your comment to Kevin before I posted
Unlimited combo is really a headache la
June 17th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
HAHAHAHAHA I JUST REALISED YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BLOG ABOUT THE GUITARS CAUSE THEY’RE ALL FAKES
ALL KAPCHAI ONE NO LOGO 