Why this matters

Protect is powerful because doubles targeting is valuable. It is weak when it becomes predictable or leaves a partner exposed.

A practical approach

Use this as a focused testing loop. The goal is to make one part of your decision process clearer before adding more complexity.

• Protect when it punishes a likely double target or waits out a speed mode.
• Pair Protect with a partner action that improves the board.
• Notice when attacking or switching creates more value than stalling.

Example to test

Protecting an obvious target while its partner removes speed control can be excellent; protecting while the partner does nothing useful is rarely enough.