This Thing You Call Aggro.

[mjdoom]

Yep, yep, yep.  Yet another example of how dependent this game is on group composition.  We get wrapped up in what works for us based on our experiences, and forget that a completely different way of doing things is probably just as valid and effective.  In some ways that's good, because it encourages working with people you're familiar with.  In other ways, it's bad; I imagine Treesh and I would drive one another crazy if we teamed up, and the same with you and Griz -- not because any of us is doing things "wrong," but because we're doing things differently.

(Then again, there are some things that are just plain wrong.  Warriors who don't Sunder, for example... ;))
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This is something I try not to fall into. I am willing to try almost anything to see how it works and sometimes it works better than others. The Rogue, Rogue, Priest, Priest, Hunter run on Scarlet Strat was quite the experience (and ultimately unsuccessful). I've been in 5-man groups with all cloth wearers (a bunch of 60s doing princess runs) to groups with 3/5 being plate wearers. I've continued on in instances after someone had to leave and made some significant progress with "gimped" 4-man groups. Sometimes these things work out and sometimes they fail miserably.

If you try out many different combinations it helps you to learn much better what the other classes are capable of. More often than not these crazy combinations can actually work. It may get a bit hairy at times but with good tactics many encounters are winnable. Putting yourself in many different situations helps you to be flexible when needed or When Things Go Wrong™.

I am talking mostly about 5-man experiences here though. In general I consider raids to be the end-game version of "easy mode" (with a 10-man on UBRS being the exception, although I've never personally done that) and I do them for fun and loot. Many times I'd prefer the challenge of 5-manning something and making it work. It doesn't always succeed, but that just makes you stronger for the next try (I'm pretty sure noone else on Stormrage has hit double-digits of 5-man runs in Scholomance).

Having a comfort level of playing with the same people/classes is very nice and helps to streamline the process but never underestimate the value of playing with others. You might just learn something new to take back to your usual group :)

- mjdoom