what happens if second half of Alex is all physical?

[Brannigan]

Assuming one considers Dark Dance and Bulwark to be roughly equivalent CDs (consider their relative uptime/duration/recast/potency), and the fact that Dark Dance can, beyond the use of the buff itself, be used to control Reprisal usage, then really the only tool PLD edges DRK out on physically is Sheltron, which barely counts.

Bulwark is trash except against trash. Halone is the real X factor when it comes to physical damage, but you're right about DRK's physical mitigation not being as bad as people make it out to be.