I would think most of us play with a core group of guys and test out new ideas and concepts before taking them out on the road for play in tournies. I tend to look at the trends in armies in the tournies and see if I match up well with what I'm playing and analyze what units may have helped or which may have hindered. Blood Angels force one to decide if you are going to be balls to the wall, - jump assault units, vets with jump packs, Death Company Furioso, or a little more balance with some fire support such as a Dev squad, a couple Preds etc. Blood Angels always have it tough against a shooting armies with lots of dice or designed to kill marines, lots of plasma, AP 3 weapons, and mobile armies such as Eldar and Dark Eldar.

I'm lucky as the group I play with have a wide range of armies and play styles. In the case of the Warmasters Challenge, I also think having the scenarios to play test allows one to see the weakness' in a army in specific missions. We have made a few changes in unit selection to address some deficiencies based on test play.

I've been toying with Space Marine lists and leaning heavily toward a Vulkan themed army list with a strong fire base and 3 - 4 drop pods to insert firepower where needed, and several speeders to provide quick support as needed. The silly fun list has Calgar with a squad of terminators deep striking, a couple Ironclads in pods, and Jump Troops as back-up.

Shane