I've had doubles of each personality at one time or the other. Generally what works for me when I have two different villagers from one personality is to make sure they have such different looks and appeal that even if they say the same dialogue it comes across in a different way. Like it's being said with a different tone and emphasis even if the words are the same. That said, some of those type of pairings work better for me than others.
The ones I like doubles of most are Cranky, Smug, and Snooty.
Cranky is one of my favorite personalities, and when doing two of those I like to have one that looks mean/evil and one that has a cuter appeal. I also like having a really mean looking one paired with one who looks really cool and reserved. For Smug I like to have 1 performer type and one who's not. Like one is a professional performer and one is more of a wannabe. Snooty is another I like to double on, usually with one elegant one and one that seems more down to earth.
Jock and Lazy are ones I can have a little trouble having two of, because they both have dialogue that is very centered on one thing and so I'm more likely to get tired of hearing about it. I do enjoy having 1 robot Jock and 1 normal Jock, though. Since robots can't actually improve their muscles by working out they come across as different even with the same dialogue. For Lazy villagers I like having one childish one so that the gross things he says ends up feeling more like he's just being a kid, paired with another who has an odd or ugly character design that embraces the grossness.
I almost never have doubles of Sisterly because it's my least favorite personality, has the fewest villagers to choose from, and a lot of the Sisterlies have the same type of appeal. I enjoy Peppy villagers, but have found that I often end up becoming a fan of one of the two Peppy villagers and then end up shunting the other one to the side and not talking to them as much, so they are another I rarely have two of.
For the Normal personality I usually keep 1 I really like and have the other Normal spot rotating - because there are just too many fantastic Normal villagers not to keep switching it up.
I started a new playthrough a while ago where I'm trying to make use of my large amiibo collection, so I've been doing things a little differently because I'm switching through so many villagers. So I've been using my 2 extra spots for 2 villagers from the same personality. But instead of getting different ones I've chosen ones with the same appeal that I'd place in the same general tier and making it into a competition to see which one does that specific appeal best. Once I've decided on that, I put in another versus pair. Villagers I've done this with so far include Moose and Samson, Astrid and Mathilda, Cube and Wade, and Bangle and Bianca.
Wow, great feedback! Thanks so much! I have much less experience with the game and much of the knowledge I have is from watching my daughter play (she's been playing much longer than I have). What I have seen on our islands agrees with your experience. Specifically, my 2 smugs are so different from each other that even when they do say exactly the same thing, it feels different because of their delivery. Klaus has that too-cool-for-the-room look most of the time and very upright posture, while Pietro has that hunched sheep posture and sweet, smiling facial expression.
I have made my life easier by deciding not to choose between the 2 snooties that I've been torn between: Tiffany and Greta. Both completely different looks and vibes - basically they couldn't be more different. Greta is elegant, dainty, and refined, while Tiffany looks like she's been in a few bar fights and won. Both look like cool women in their own rights. I have a few other snooties that I would like to try but I have amiibos for these 2, so obviously I'll start there.
I have Apollo and I anticipate liking the crankies best, but I read that he has the same subtype as Elvis, so I'm not sure if I should look for an A subtype, or if I should forget it and just use Apollo since I already have him. Honestly, I don't trust the subtype list I found anyway, because I believe that I have already found inaccuracies. For example, my daughter has Hugh and Simon, both lazy villagers. Both are listed as subtype B and are supposed to be more "mature and questioning things." This is true of Hugh, but Simon is totally the A subtype, talking about food, bugs, and being a superhero. There were other villagers that were listed incorrectly, so I think I'll just have to start with appearance and go from there.
I agree with you about Jock villagers. I adore Cousteau because he's so cute, but I wouldn't want another of his type. My daughter has Samson and she loves him but again, she feels no need for another.
I don't think I'll try another sisterly. I really like Muffy's look and I think she might be the opposite subtype of Frita (my daughter's sisterly), and my daughter loves Frita so much that she won't get another sisterly so that she can keep Frita's dialogue unique. While there are many things that both Muffy and Frita say the same, it would be ideal if they had some different things as well. I had Tammy from the start of the game but she asked to leave recently and I let her go. I don't intend to replace her since I already had Muffy from an island tour. I plan to just have the one sisterly to help keep Frita special and my daughter's game play more enjoyable.
I love your idea of the competition! Who won in the "battles" so far?
