[4. Who's the Beatdown?]

Are you concerned that AoS is too variable for all but the broadest theory crafting? 

One reason theory crafting is so prominent in Magic is its rigid structure, allowing concepts like the beatdown to have real substance. In AoS, variability is so prevalent and strong that units' characteristics inflate and deflate in value in a very real sense. While this is true in Magic to some degree (such as the value of drawing a land at different times in the game), in AoS the much greater fluidity of game-state may exaggerate this phenomenon so much that it obviates the kind of sophisticated theory Magic can sustain. 

For example, in a previous post you floated the notion of assigning value in terms of Presence points and Pressure points. However, (even though Projection attempts to address this, from what I understand) consider how the value of Presence changes from a battleplan like Take and Hold, which is highly static and predictable, to one like Gifts from the Heavens, which is highly variable. If the objectives fall in a disadvantageous way, the actual value of investments in pure presence decreases, while Pressure spikes massively. In the same vein, the ability of a list to kill enemy units can either be paramount, such as in Take and Hold, which will often be decided on kill points, or almost irrelevant, such as in Border War, which will often be decided on victory points.

That being said, I do find the definitions you've outlined very useful so far. I think reading about them will help people understand how to win in different situations against different opponents, instead of just trying to find the best rock/paper/scissors interactions on the battlefield for their units.

[I Hobbied Every Day for 2018]

This is great. I have a step-uncle (or something) who is a big shot banker, and he said his key to success is to do this sort of thing: make rules for yourself and stick to them, no matter what. I need to make sure to do this, in order to avoid being subject to my waxing and waning enthusiasm.