Last weekend, two teams reigned supreme over all others during the Kadayawan Electronic Entertainment: DotA Tournament Eliminations. On Day 2, newly formed CORPOration (CORPO) effortlessly won over their opponents. This is a truly laudable feat considering the team was formed only about two weeks ago.

I had the opportunity to sit down with four of CORPO’s members, and get to know them better. Throughout the entire interview, one word was repeated over and over… TEAMWORK.

CORPOration is the brainchild of former NoMets player Jay Novic “yaJqt” A. Arabia. He brought with him his former teammates Richard King “RiorEN” Padama, and John Jester “JeZtAh” S. Ching. To complete the roster, he picked Jeffrey Christian “Badz” R. Bajado formerly of Team Sick, Duke “dK” Dalumpines formerly of DC Clan, and Christian Lorenzo “Chian / cK” D. Coronel formerly of Blinque - Tech. These six boys from different backgrounds and teams have come together to form what is, in my opinion, going to be the best and strongest DotA teams in Davao City.

Before they become unreachable gaming stars (as they hope to be), let me introduce them to you:

Name: Jay Nolvic A. Arabia - team leader
Nickname: YaJqt
Age: 19
Birthday: December 15, 1987
Profession: Sales and Marketing Manager
Favorite Heroes: Viper, Necrolyte

Name: John Jester S. Ching
Nickname: Jez / JeZtAh
Age: 19
Birthday: March 22, 1988
Profession: Student, BSBA Management major at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Nevermore

Name: Richard King Padama
Nickname: RiorEN
Age: 23
Birthday: January 5 1984
Profession: Student, BS Management Accounting major at the AdDU
Favorite Heroes: All Heroes “kasi napakagaling ko” (ANUH?)

Name: Jeffrey Christian R. Bajado
Nickname: Badz
Age: 23
Birthday: April 20, 1984
Profession: Graduate of BS Nursing from AdDU, reviewing for the Nursing Board Exams
Favorite Hero: Magina

Name: Duke Dalumpines
Nickname: dDUKEe
Age: 21
Birthday: Novermber 21, 1985
Profession: Student, BS Management Accounting major at theUIC
Favorite Heroes: Mirana

Name: Christian Lorenzo D. Coronel
Nickname: Chian
Age: 18
Birthday: December 28, 1988
Profession: Student, AB Entrepreneurship major at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Chen

{Unfortunately, only Jay, Jeztah, Chian, and Badz were available when I interviewed the team.}

Jay and Jeztah both started playing DotA because they were influenced by their friends and classmates. Meanwhile, Badz was influenced by his younger brother (Batusai of 50ph), and Chian was encouraged to play the game when he saw other gamers playing it in a gaming cafe near his house. Right now, all four of them play only DotA. Jay was encouraged to continue playing DotA because he sees it as an opportunity for fame and glory. Meanwhile, Chian stuck to playing to the game because of the adrenaline rush it gives him.

Jay sees DotA as an explosive art that has people hooked. He believes that he is able to express himself and have an outlet for his emotions through DotA. Badz thinks the strategic aspect of the game is what makes DotA interesting. Jeztah attributes the game’s popularity to the teamwork and inter-player coordination it requires. Chian explains that it is a unique game that requires five different people to work together as a team. This, according to Chian, is also how he acquired a number of friends through DotA. On the downside, Jay shares that DotA can be in the way of studying. Jeztah shares that it costs a lot of money to be a serious DotA player.

Jay says he developed his DotA skills by playing and practice as much as he can. Badz adds that his skills were developed by playing only with the best. Jeztah learns new strategies by playing through Battle.net, reading guides, and watching replays. Jay ascertains that merely watching replays is not enough. He says that when watching replays, the gamer should form new insights and learn.

Jay, as the leader of the team, picked his teammates based on three qualifications: their ability to commit, that they are easy to talk to, and their skills and potential to be great players. Chian and Badz both agree with Jay that they joined CORPO because its members are willing to commit to the team. Jeztah interjects that he is willing to get players who are willing to learn. Jay believes that their edge over other teams is the chemistry among them. And I heartily agree. Jeztah further explains that “there is no I in our team.” Badz agrees that teamplay is their best asset. Jay also adds that their team is flexible enough to learn from their mistakes and adjust to different situations. Chian thinks their best weapon is… his Chen. While Badz states that his edge over other players is… his degree.

While Badz shares that he developed better memorization skills from playing DotA and Jay acquired better reflexes, Chian states that the best thing he learned from the game is how to trust his teammates. Jay shares that at this point in his life, DotA and all things related to it consist 50% of his life. Fortunately, for Jay, it has helped him develop his leadership skills and how he handles responsibilities. Jeztah believes that DotA hasn’t taken over his life, and he is able to balance all aspects of his life well. But he he thinks that DotA has also improved his life by way of gaining new friends. Chian also states that DotA hasn’t taken over his life. From DotA, Chian has learned how it is to work well with others through trust and commitment.

Probably another edge that CORPO over other teams is its players depth of experience playing together and against each other. Jay and Jeztah having played against stronger teams in their WCG stint in Manila have learned how to adapt to different playing styles faster. They have, as I have also observed, a faster learning rate. Jeztah also states that there is a very big difference between simply knowing and doing. Badz and Chian, coming from different teams emphasizes the importance of teamwork. According to Badz, each player in a team should be strong individually for the team to succeed as a group. Chian agrees by saying “you can never win if there’s no teamwork.”

According to Jay, the worst mistake a newbie player or team can commit is make excuses and reasons. (And I agree. According to me, reasons are for losers.) For Jeztah, the worst newbie mistake is taking control by ordering around his teammates. Chian advices other players to practice. Jeztah agrees that experience is the best weapon a player can have.

All four agree that there is a chance for pro gaming to prosper in Davao City and the Philippines. Jay believes that with the proper initiative and support from all stakeholders, especially the players, pro gaming can be a good diversion from the country’s more serious problems.

Jay’s gaming philosophy that guides his leadership is “If you want to be the best, you have to do everything to be the best.” Meanwhile Jeztah asserts that a good leader has to be a good follower. Chian underscores the importance of knowledge, of knowing one’s self and one’s opponents, and the game because according to him, “knowledge is power.”

While other teams merely really on skills and strategies, CORPO’s winning asset is definitely their teamwork. Mind you, that’s not the only thing they have though. Of course, they have the skills, and more importantly, the brains to win it all.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 10:47 am and is filed under DotA Allstars, Players, Teams, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.