I don't think I really did either? My only consistent or semi-consistent allies were SGR and (maybe) Cirno and it's not like that grossly tipped the balance of games in my favor, judging by my stats. I mean, if you're winning a majority of your Risk games then either you're in a class of your own or everyone else is really doing it wrong.
I don't think this was ever a problem for me. I can't remember since it's been a whole year but I'm not even sure I ever automatically expected you and Kerry, for example, to stick together. The farthest my meta ever got was mental notes about things like Sachy playing very conservatively and Edark being a compulsive backstabber.
the thing i don't like/never liked about FFA is inexplicit pacts where friends usually end up allying all the time who're pretty much guaranteed to beat anyone who doesn't have any. not like ppl do it on purpose but like, it happens anyway
one example would be expecting me to ally with kerry every game (which means i always explicitly tried to avoid it)
like, if i ally with someone one game and it works, i want to avoid allying the next game so it's not just, for example, Me N Maxwell Rolling Dudes Every Game
i guess there's the "social aspect" where your skills at Being Liked and Making Friends should Positively Impact your play but i don't really like that either
also i'd always feel bad for Bending Someone To My Will if they're inexperienced and experienced players will rightfully look out for themselves.
tl;dr, if i decide to play i will casualise my thoughts n plays to ensure minimum discomfort
