While I don’t personally use summons outside of specific NPCs that I like (just because I don’t want to, I don’t think it’s bad to do so), on the occasions that I do summon an NPC I definitely prefer the aggro to be on me. The fun for me is in learning the enemy moveset, like a puzzle. Having someone else do damage while the aggro is on me just lowers the amount of openings I have to survive for

I suppose since I usually do the quests for Latenna and the jellyfish, those are technically the spirit ashes I summon most. Latenna would be perfect for what I want in a summon! I do summon Igon for Bayle because he’s just fun, and that’s kind of a similar experience