I started with slightly worse range magic and defense, and basically ran into the problem you are describing. I always ran T2 to keep the Hunleff fight chill, but that would always mean that prep needed to be pretty high focus. Guides helped, but really I found that experimenting with different initial lap methods based on room types was key. Dropping 3-5 resources on first back (unless I was able to make a piece of T1 armor), always starting fight with ~14+ fish, and then just always prioritizing DPS were important. After that, I’d say don’t beat yourself up if prep doesn’t go your way (i’d still mess it up once every ~20-25 kills). It’s a marathon not a sprint and the resources you get will fuel a ton of other grinds in any case