I think trying out different an more complex strategies can help improve your skill in Warlight, also the variation stops it becoming repetative and makes the game more fun.
I don't want to belittle anyone who prefers to stick to what they know. But that's just not for me, I get bored to easily, and I think there are others out there too :)
Custom scenarios can really make things intersting when it comes to auto-distribution, as well as manual-distribution, and are something I have been playing around with recently.
This template for example can give players the option to pick the centre (much harder) but gives more income and more starting troops :)
https://www.warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=9974812It is a lot harder to balance though, granted, and seems to work better for FFAs :)