(although one can argue DSS cards are more powerful or debate they are the whip itself - not going to touch that debate right now)
I remember that debate with great fondness, and my fanfic certainly argues that the two whips are seperate.
As for this debate, I think the victories of Hector, Alucard, and Shanoa are definitely the big sticking point. As I pointed out in my OP, they all have the common thread of wielding Dracula's power in some way. As this is essentially the only common point between all three characters -- although Hector and Shanoa definitely have more than a few circumstantial similarities, neither shares much in common with Alucard beyond the use of power derived from Dracula to defeat him.
Hopefully y'all can see why I would make that link.
Now if we're going to argue that all three were incomplete/flawed resurrections, that much is also true. I won't discount that information; I think it is definitely
connected. But I am wary of denoting that "connection = cause" in this matter. I think that the weakened Dracula definitely prevented him from hitting them with his full power, which in turn allowed them to hang on long enough to use their
fabulous secret powers to finally do in Dracula.
Basically, it's not that Drac's Deflector Shields were weaker, it's that his Turbolasers weren't firing at full power, and his Shields were weak to the kind of power that Hector, Shanoa, and Alucard wield to begin with.
No argument to refute that Curse was badly written though. I mean, how
could you try and fight that argument?