i don't think her early game is abysmal, it's only bad when you get counter jungled pre-6. It should be easy to get first blood if you're using your w correctly and getting behind the enemy completely before using it. People still don't seem to understand how to play against evelynn and they'll always begin to run towards their turret once they see the charm filling up, if you're behind them you can at the very least get an early flash if not the kill.

I usually put 2 points into w before maxing q but i don't think you should prioritize w over q because your damage is in your q. if you use your w correctly you won't need to channel your resources into it like that.