A warrior cannot see all ends, nor all paths to those ends. They can only make the best use of the information available to them, and seek out more as is necessary or practical.

Though a warrior can do this, so too will their enemies. Though they may seek out similar or overlapping ends, their paths shall invariably differ. The warrior must therefore consider the perspective of those who would face them.

For this, there is no substitute to becoming an absurdly proficient art expert who can decipher minute details about a society from the art its people produces, but even those lacking in such a critical eye can at least take a whack at it.

For Adrian Raven, the path of his adversary was simple, obvious, and of no presumed threat whatsoever, but was no less treacherous for it. For him to block this path, he would need to employ a tactic older than the kingdom itself:

Animal trivia countersigns.

(Also yes, this commentary is a Thrawn from Star Wars reference / homage)