In “for what it’s worth” advice category, the only way everything gelled for me was to sit down and make a flow chart/decision tree based on the schools kiddo was actually going to apply to. How the options play out is entirely dependent upon how one school’s options impact others, and which are your kid’s front runners.
Once you figure out the list of schools, and each school’s deadlines/options, then you can run different scenarios for whether you choose one or another for an early round. I found it helpful for determining how many apps kiddo would have to apply to if he applied to School X SCEA v just EA schools, and which ones would ever be an ED2 option, etc.
So the process for us was (1) nail down your safeties/matches/reaches, ignoring application method. (2) write down all of the options and deadlines for each school. (3) Test out what the application process looks like if you consider ED1 or REA for any schools. What are the deadlines, what options are foreclosed early, etc. (4) pick the option that keeps options open, and maximizes success (as you define it). For us that meant no ED1, but EAs. Then state school apps. Then an option for ED2 if EA didn’t go as we hoped. Then a patch of RD apps.