Blood DK - Blood Boil Stacks

[Moglet]

Hey guys,

I'm a new DKs, just started leveling one to replace my main for WoD. I'm currently level 82 and now that I have started tanking the Cata dungeons I felt a lot more squishy than I did for WOTLK ones. I have been practicing with my cooldowns etc to alleviate this.

I have read a ton online and one question I have had for a long time that I cannot find an answer for anywhere is blood boil stacks. I know you are to use your Blood runes on Blood Boil and your Frost, Unholy and Death runes on Death Strike while keeping a pair of runes available for emergency Death Strikes (weak healing ones...?). My question is, should you hold on Death Strikes to gain Blood Boil stacks for increased healing or should you just ignore these completely and use your Death Strikes as your runes come available while still maintaining the ability to use Death Strike for scary moments (two runes available) even though the heal will be weak.

I have been trying to watch my Blood Boil stacks and am starting to think it would be better to ignore them and just use Death Strike.

I do have one other question and that's related to Rune Tap... Rune Tap uses a Blood Rune as well, should you generally keep these recharging and use Rune Tap actively on large pulls or just spam Blood Boil? Rune Tap only lasts 3 seconds so I can't imagine it being an effective cooldown for trash but I've never played a tank at this level before so that could just be my inexperience talking...

Thanks,

Moglet

[Jellospally]

Use rune tap for big hits you know are coming(like a spell when AMS is CD and its like 150k hit and you know you will probably dip from that or in raids big hits from bosses abilities). Use Death strikes when you most likely won't overheal if you can help it. Don't worry about the stacks blood boil / SR give. You are right holding onto 1 set of all runes since it has no downside anyway.

Death strike without stacks still has the potential to heal for almost all your HP anyway.