Pet Trainers Starting Pet Always the Same Now?

[Koori]

I don't feel like testing it out to extensively but it seems to me that starting pet is always the same now and days, maybe it's because my team is always the same but was wondering if they do that now. And if so who does Payne start with? Haven't battled him since they added the Fable Beast. ~ K

[Ysabell]

Yes.

Payne always starts with Grizzle now.

[Deepfriedegg]

Imho it was a good decision. Having the starting pet random only made players to leave the battle until they saw the desired starting pet.

[Talmar]

This is what I've witnessed. I have yet to battle a tamer that changes it's starting pet. Obalis is always Pyth, Antari is always the wyrmling, Lydia is always the plant and Trixie has always been the dragon.

[Yalina]

I noticed last night on Aki that she was opening with Chirrup. Forfeited four times before I changed to match her. My strat had always been based on countering the dragon first.

I'm glad they made the change to be the same opening pet for the trainers. Even though it means the majority of my saved teams are now "wrong".