[Agema]

I agree.

The advantage of a D9 bless seems to be almost nothing to do with having the bless, but being able to access a D9 mage. (This immediately makes you wonder why you don't take, say, D6-8, and get the rest of the way with boosters.) The turn 40 Utterdark strategy seems to me to be a massive gamble, putting all your eggs in one basket. It might win spectacularly, but it's far more likely something will go wrong, and the egg will be on your face.