If you pick a base character then the prime gets removed as well, the better version cant exist without the base version, however if you remove a prime version then the base character can still exist. My personal pick would be Valkyr due to how [IMO] useless she seems
It makes me angry for Valkyr that they nerfed Hysteria, then turned around later and buffed Revenant’s Mesmer Skin; and her claws can’t slash while Garuda gets better Valkitty Klaws due to being the only exalted melee in the game that gets acolyte mods.
Excal still has a place in being the funny number melee frame. Nobody else gets to stack as many melee buffs as swordy boi.