Again, for the sake of being a broken record, I am not saying that Devotion is the almighty choice; the problem with Protectra V is that it sucks and isn't worth any merits.
I do not think I am a better WHM for capping Devotion; but I think I am a more resourceful one for putting merits where they are potent, versus "unlocking Protectra V because it looks funny casting Shellra V and Protectra IV".
And I have yet to understand how using strategems on a party buff is a waste. What are you using those strategems for if -not- to buff your party? (Or, before my LSs main DD line had all their screens, a double Accession>Cursna on the two DD parties came in very handy).
The point of this entire thread was that Shellra V is the only merit worth the time. I agreed with that since the beginning of the thread! Learn2read. The issue is that after Shellra V, Devotion is the only other category which can justify the merits. Protectra V currently does not, no matter how people look at it.
Going 1/5 in a category is not because of its usefulness, but because people have OCD about having access to every spell. If you can wrap your head around the idea that Protectra V is garbage, then you'll understand why I haven't put a single merit in it. Hell, if I could go 6/5 in barspell potency, that'd be better than 1 merit in Protectra V.