For example, if you can sacrifice a touch in a pool bout to gain valuable reconnaissance information which will enable you to win the bout, that may be a valid strategy for you. However, if you can gain the same information without sacrificing a touch, that's better. In a DE, the final score doesn't matter, all that matters is who wins. Still, giving away touches in a DE bout can be a bad idea. A run of three or four touches where you're just playing around might be enough to weaken your concentration and give your opponent a morale boost, and turn the tide.
Conclusions Always fence with intent to win the tournament.
Afterwards over dinner, you can discuss your final placing with your coach and decide whether it was a good result or not. Barring any strategy to the contrary, always fence for every bout and every touch. Never throw away touches for no reason, and never ever throw away victories for no reason. Yes, some of the seeding into the DE is luck. If the 14th seed is somebody you've always been able to beat easily but the 15th is somebody you've never been able to figure out, you have to hope that your seed doesn't end up being one that faces the 15th at some point - which one of the two you're likely to face eventually is not something you have a lot of control over.