Poor DM choice

[kitcik]

The DM has at all times and in all ways the ability to kill the PC's without notable effort. Whether the DM expects to use this ability and actually opts to exercise this ability is a different question.

The players will continue to "win" only so long as they do not actually demonstrate the fact that they stuffed aces up their sleeves. Once the DM realizes the players mercenarily stacked the deck in their own favor the players lose. I'll bet short term on the players, long term on the DM.

Based on the posts in this thread, I believe you may have overestimated the players' ability to resist gloating.

 

[Talonblaze]

If I was a mean DM, the beginning of the game would probably go like this:

*Takes sheets.* Hm, thanks for NPC's they will come quite in handy. 
Now about your characters... 
I think cursed and afflicted goblins will be a good challenge for you veterans.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Why can't we all just get along, and leave the fighting to NPC targets?

Work with the DM. Likely a 5 minute explanation about your frustrations would communicate more effectively than broken characters.

This would be followed by whatever sort of negotiation that will occur after what you have planned already, only if you talked directly, there'd be less time wasted, and less defensiveness and anger.