[thejeff]

I'm no monkey or MP expert, but my understanding is PD is nothing more than a speed bump by mid game anyway. Sure it means you can use cheaper raiders, but those cheap raiding forces can be countered by not much more expensive patrols.
Buy a few archers or infantry to back them up.

How is the VQ an anti-raiding strategy. The VQ is a defensive strategy, sure, but I'll send 5 cheap raiders and she can kill one or take back one province a turn. That's not a plan...

In my last mp game against Bandar Log, they were definitely way ahead. Then the player had to drop and the game dissolved, so there was no official winner. I was Jotunheim and I could take any province I wanted, most only had 1 PD anyway. Then he'd annihilate and enslave whatever I'd sent.

It's an annoyance to have lousy PD. Particularly being vulnerable to cheap castings like Call of the Winds/Wild. But the sacreds, sacred summons and astral power can make up for it.

By late game, PD is unimportant. Casual thugs/raiders will take any reasonable PD untouched and a heavy PD investment will be bypassed or hit with a real army and die.