>>50272976Because most players don't use them much nor are they the forms they initially chose. You pick your starter at level 5, you probably clear the 1st gym, maybe 2nd before it evolves. By that point it has already made an impression on you, you also have other team members and either rely on them just as much if not more than your starter or you need to overlevel your starter to make it viable even at a disadvantage, either way you use the middle stage for a bit during what is typically the most boring part of the main story (the shiny new toy feeling has worn off and you're just going through the established gameplay loop while the plot is either sporadic or non-existent until it starts ramping up to the climax) before it evolves and then you spend the rest of your time with the final stage. Unless you make a conscious choice not to evolve it and keep using it then the middle stage doesn't get the chance to be the star of your journey so few players have strong feelings about them.
