The "only GST with friends" thing is kinda meh to me, I've learned that many people on iClassic are incredibly bipolar and unpredictable so it's not worth putting yourself through
I do think you should at least build your team around people who are level-headed, mature, and honest, but that's kind of obvious
I didn't really know Dante or MK at all before adding them to Alumni and I didn't like Eko much, but I recognized that they were pretty good and didn't seem to cause much drama and had histories of sticking with guilds
I'm not super close with anyone in the guild, maybe just David, but it still feels good to surround yourself and win with people who aren't sketchballs
Mutual respect and friendship comes from winning together, so I guess winning helps you win more?