Gief for one can win without tron. I’ve seen a player with Zangief/guile/america beat stuff like MSP teams before. Mecha Zangief’s AA assist for example is pretty good, holds storm or mags in place enough for big punishment.
A little creativity, extra work and or mindgames can go a long way. Too many underestimate lower-tier characters, and assume a team of them can’t function without that 1 big above-average assist to help out.
My Charlie/Ryu/Bison for example, a team i just threw together from scratch, has no cheap assists or other big advantages over the rest, but i can utilize them well. Ryu’s Anti-air for instance, its no tron or commando lighting, but its a decent AA that works well for popping mags in the mouth as he’s trying to rush in on Bison. Charlie’s Flashkick AA usually halts a flying sent, and Ryu/Bison’s projectiles work well for punishing stuff like a missed tron or capcom assist while their out, etc.
Yeah i’ve pretty much said all i wanted to as well.