Starter picks: design vs. usefulness
Every starter debate is really two debates wearing one trench coat. Design-first rankers reward silhouettes and final evolutions — Charizard and Greninja coast on this forever. Playthrough-first rankers instead ask who actually carries the early game: Mudkip's type coverage, Chimchar's speed tiers, Fuecoco's bulk. A starter that looks incredible but struggles into the third gym (hello, Chikorita) tends to sink a tier the moment someone in the group chat brings up their Nuzlocke run.