>>59044142I will say, this is the one good thing about moving from Stat Exp to EVs.
Stat Exp, there is almost no reason to ever switch off pokemon from the start of the game. It doesn't matter that Dodrio is better than Fearow in every way, because your Fearow has a fuckload of stat exp giving it +30ish to everything that Dodrio will never catch up on.
I do think Squirtle is like the best example of how to balance starters in the series. Squirtle is one of the worst water types in the region, but it is given to you at the start of the game. Staryu, Lapras, Shelder, Seel, Tentacruel, hell, even Gyarados are all better, but Squirtle is the one you have now. That's the way starters SHOULD be balanced, but overwhelmingly starters are just some of the best pokemon in the region, period, and a starter that doesn't just steamroll the entire region is considered shit. Starters like Chikorita shouldn't be the exception, they should be the norm.