User blog comment:Smartguyc/Jackknife deck/@comment-1755882-20140330013631/@comment-1755882-20140330150439

So you're comparing a -1 that will win you the game, in all but a few rare instances, to a -1 that gets you 2 gauge that you could easily get from other sources? Ha.

Running non-Jackknife Size 2s will clog up a Jackknife deck. Unless you start running ones that cost gauge (which cuts into the deck's main strategy, and thus is dumb) they will not be effective enough to win you games against any deck that is worth anything. If you're not making sure you have maximum consistency of getting off your primary strategy, the one your deck is BUILT AROUND, you are doing it wrong.

You...have seen the cards from BT02, right? I'm not talking about crap like Dragon Heart and The Ark. I'm talking about stuff White Dragon Shield, Armorknight Wall Lizard, Chillax, and Secret Sword, Moon Fang. All of these cards are great, and 3 of the 4 are usable against any type of damage, especially Penetrates.

And no, it is not overkill to run 8 Shields. Its something called consistency. The same reason why one runs 4 of essential cards. Its the same reason why in Vanguard, you max out Sentinels. You want to ensure you'll always have this protection at the times when you need it.