Ano:
I had to read your post a couple times. There's a gramatical problem in the first sentence which had me misunderstanding it. I believe you mean that my team failed by letting me die. I agree.
My point was about using team games to learn to play Dominions. I'd break it down a couple more ways.
1) Team games don't stop noob ganking from my experience. I've played 3 team games and they aren't any better than FFA for that.
2) Big team games are brutally slow. Therefore, while you learn hopefully from good players you can learn a heck of a lot faster playing in smaller games. Blitzes, small team games, small FFA.
3) Your mileage may vary. Which is much like you say. ChrisP is incredibly dangerous in a team game because he's a tyrant
So his team plays like one big player and doesn't make many mistakes. Guys on his team learned massively. No matter how good a captain is, if he can't afford time for lot's of coaching you might as well be playing on your own.