Exotic vs. Vanilla

In the rumors thread we have been chatting about vanilla mainstream bikes vs exotic and exciting boutique bikes. I think there is a really good and big discussion to have about pros and cons of each. 

I have only ridden major brands MTBs and I have appreciated the support and build qualities but I have also chased a lot of qualities that I think are more naturally had on a boutique bike. 

I am curious about people’s experiences of one vs the other, especially if you currently have both but for different reasons.