Stats and pot types don't change which weapon is better. Whip is always better. Demons will ALWAYS change attack style when roaring UNLESS: A) You had the wrong prayer on when they roared, in which case they stay on the same style, or B) You're not standing next to them, in which case they might switch to melee, realize they can't reach you, and switch again to either magic or ranged (50% of the time this looks exactly like not switching). What you should be doing is guessing the next prayer each time they roar and switching your prayer ahead of time. If they're on melee, guess magic when they roar If they're on magic, guess ranged when they roar If they're on ranged, guess magic when they roar Then after they attack, you can adjust it if you guessed wrong. That way you only get hit by magic specials if they were on magic, and you only get hit once by the new attack style 50% of the time.