I prefer to try and purchase at EAP level if I really want the domain. Not high EAP but the lower ones for me...
The last pre-order domains I had go to auction at GD was .vip, it was just me and someone else and they out bid me on several which was fine. Then GD came back and said they didn't pay and I could purchase the domains. This would have been fine if they would have sold them to me at auction start price, before the person that didn't pay ran up the price.
I'm a bit leery of these pre-order auctions. It's either shoot for the EAP, or see if it's still around when GA happens..