You can compare the weight of the heat shield required for atmospheric reentry braking to the weight of the fuel you need for propulsive reentry braking: if the

You can compare the weight of the heat shield required for atmospheric reentry braking to the weight of the fuel you need for propulsive reentry braking: if the fuel weighs more, use the heat shield instead. This could be the difference, for example, between 100t of fuel versus 15t of heatshield.