Let's organize a tournament.

I've been playing HOMM since the game's release, and TE since version 4.8 (I'm not a pro player, but an enthusiastic amateur). I can confidently say that it makes sense to start playing on the TE mod right away. All the shortcomings of the original become obvious as your skill level increases; I wouldn't play the original now, as it's not interesting. I suggest organizing a tournament, like a "New Recruit Training" tournament, on the TE mod.