You have to define "best" first.

Quite obviously they do because they currently can. We are hoping people will get bored soon tho as most of them start dying off.

Coinchoose.com

Track the coins, invest into those which are well supported and have interesting developments coming up for them. LTC should be good this year IMO. Then there are a few alts which are likely to do well.

I'd say
LTC
PPC
CGB
DOGE
GME

These are my top 5 from the top of my head.

I feel like it is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time.

In the near future, the concept of pools might get old if we get a better proof of work system.

If there is a coin with a human proof of work system, there will no need for pools I think. For now, we have to live with what's out there. The alt coin frenzy has to stop at some point.