Tiers are still a bit up in the air for this game right now. Remember, there’s only been one major.
We do have a pretty good idea of who’s at least “above-average”, though. In no particular order:
Sophie
Cass
Amy
Algol
Setsuka
Yoshi
Voldo
Taki
Kilik
Cervy
Hilde
Ivy
Also in the discussion are Mitsu, X, Asta, Raph, & Siegfried - all are either upper-mid or mid depending on whom you ask.
Lizardman is solid mid. Some think the Apprentice could be up here as well, though the majority place him in the next group.
Other common lower-mid characters include Yunsung, Nightmare, Rock, Darth Vader, Tira, & Maxi. Some argue that Maxi belongs on the bottom.
Most agree that Yoda, Zasalamel, and Mina are the worst characters in the game.
On a personal note, I’m having a lot of fun with Rock and am definitely making him my secondary. For those who may be asking why he doesn’t suck, here’s a mini-guide of sorts!
First off, just frame PT (214A:A:A) is fucking crazy. The timing isn’t even tight at all, just a bit weird to learn - press A right as the first hit connects, then press A kinda quickly afterward. On hit, it sets the opponent up for ground throws, and on block it’s +7 or +8; from here, you can mix up throws/6K/crouch throws, and the opponent cannot interrupt any of these options (or even step the throws or 6K). This kind of frame advantage is rare in this game, and thus is quite a big deal for ol’ Triple H. This move’s only weakness is that the 3rd hit can be just impacted (rather hard) or force parried (very easy), and even then you can begin stopping at the 2nd hit.
Second, Rock’s bullrush (FC 3K) is better than Asta’s in a couple ways. It’s always completely safe (while Asta’s can be punished by Taki AB), and on hit it leads to Rock’s most dangerous mixup (details later). Between this and the usual bullrush properties (mid, tech crouches, has tracking ability), this is your other primary move to whore besides just frame PT. Performing this instantly from standing position (2G~3K) is a must.
Even with the above, Rock at his core is a grappler, but in an unusual sense. His standing throws are very uneven (just frame command grab is awesome while the A throw is terrible), but the crouch throws and ground throws are his main ways of dealing damage. And Namco clearly designed him to focus on landing these, as they made a shitload of his moves knock down or stun for free grab attempts. Among the notable ones:
Just frame PT (already discussed)
WS A (safe mid, +4 on normal hit, stuns on CH for crouch throws or 6K -> ground throws)
6K (rather unsafe, but his best move for frametraps, tech crouches, +2 on normal hit, ground throws on CH)
2A+K (slow, but a somewhat safe low that tech crouches)
22B (safe, very damaging mid-range poke, works as a tech trap from 1B+G)
66B (similar to 22B but faster, +2 on normal hit, same stuff as WS A on CH)
4A+B (decent tech trap move)
In addition to these combos, Rock’s crouch throws are 13 frames and can punish the vast majority of lows in the game, including 2K’s, and they can also grab people during the startup of tech-crouching moves. And in addition to THAT, they can grab people out of tech rolls. This in turn leads to Rock’s strongest wakeup game…
…Crouch throws vs. ground throws! Rock has a number of knockdown moves which do not guarantee a ground throw but still leave him with a large advantage, such as bullrush and JF command grab. The opponent can tech to avoid the ground grabs from these, but if you predict this you can crouch throw them instead, potentially leading to massive damage. Once you convince them to stay on the ground, you can go back to the ground grabs.
So, you may be wondering, just what exactly do these crouch throws & ground throws do? Good question! Some are straightforward while others can lead to combos. Here’s the rundown:
2A+G: The weaker crouch throw, as the only guaranteed followup is ground throws. If you guess right it’s almost as much damage as the other one, but the other one doesn’t require guessing.
2B+G: The ridiculously strong crouch throw. From this, you can combo 9B into 6B+K, which requires a just frame tech to escape; if your opponent does this, you can crouch throw him again! This throw also has great ring-out potential, as you can combo A+B or bullrush (A+B is much better but whiffs on a couple characters).
1A+G: Ground throw on a head-first opponent, self-explanatory.
1B+G: The other ground throw on a head-first opponent, serves as a launcher. The best followup is probably 22B - delay it a bit to catch tech rollers for more damage plus another ground throw. Once you convince them not to tech at all, you may want to run up and go for a ground throw instead, and work the mixups from there. On Amy you get a guaranteed B+K (a.k.a. Butt Splash of Doom) from this, which is a nice chunk of damage that leads right into the ground throw/crouch throw guessing game.
3A+G: Ground throw on a feet-first opponent, serves as a launcher. B+K is your best followup on everybody. This throw can also ring-out.
3B+G: The other ground throw on a feet-first opponent, nothing else to say here.
So yes, you have to change directions for your throw depending on the opponent’s position, but it’s easy to remember with practice. Very satisfying, too, if I do say so myself. =)
In short, if you liked Makoto, Rock may be your man. He is without a doubt the most 50/50-based character in this game, but the JF PT and bullrush give him enough consistency to hang. His lack of guaranteed damage keeps him out of the upper tier, but he is by no means hopeless. He is not difficult to pick up either (even his JFs are some of the easier ones IMO), so give him a shot!