In my opinion, the best strategy for sansara is:
1) Attain Sotapanna stage or any stage of Nibbana in this very life.
2) If can’t attain stages of Nibbana, then attain jhana so that one can increase the chance of a brahma bhava and maybe become Ariya as a brahma. Billions years of bliss and safety from apayas. Since brahmas have long lifespan, this increases the chance of possibly meeting the future Buddha as well(yes this is my wish haha), and become an Ariya after listening to a desana by him.
3) If can’t attain jhana, then be moral and do sankhara with all 3 good roots alobha/adosa/amoha to increase chances of a tihetuka human bhava.
4) In my opinion, if someone is not an Ariya, the deva realm sounds dangerous and scary. Deva loka would be my last aims. I’d only want to be reborn there if I am certain that I’m an Ariya. Even if one is a tihetuka deva, all the sensual pleasures would be too distracting and cause much tapa(heat in the mind) to cultivate the Path and attain Nibbana
The deva loka, while a safe vacation from the apayas, it sounds like a shiny trap towards the demise of one’s moral character. Sure it has all the tempting pleasures like in Hansel and Gretel, but I feel like most of the kamma beeja devas eventually start accumulating are not of wholesome quality, and under the right conditions these bad kamma beeja will not be the vipaka they would want.
Unless one is an Ariya or someone of extraordinarily strong character, it is hard for me to fathom how the average deva will not eventually get corrupted by the excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, and not become arrogant, jealous and down right depraved/immoral like some yakkhas/asuras and Mara.
Of course there are variety of devas(good, bad, in between, dvihetuka, tihetuka, and numerous Ariyas as well) just like there are a variety of humans. But this is my general perception of that realm as a whole.