it all depends on the combos i think.

single-gene axanthics, for example, most often brown out with age. in a perfect world they should stay limited to black, white and grey. add one copy of fire and it wont brown out, the issue is resolved, with fire the axanthics look just like they should all the way into old age. they are really awesome and visually stunning.

also pastel, i mean, i dont really like single-gene pastel because of the browning out, but there are combos that fix it. combined with other morphs that age well and that counteract the drawbacks that single-gene pastel has, pastel still has a lot of value and can be quite a beneficial as a nice pattern and color enhancer.

i think many of the genes that dont really work on their own can still have real value and real purposes in the right combos.

which also means that some genes make a lot of sense for breeders to have, but wont be a really visual pet on their own. when you want a really visual pet that will stay looking nice, you need to go either for one of the genes that work well on their own, or for a combo that works really well.

some are basically like "het for awesome".