Brute, Strider, and whoever else feels that Rachel is "OP"... Can any of you explain to me where Rachel's GOOD matchups are, and also why they are such good matchups for her? If it is completely simple reasoning, I'll accept it, but for now no good matchups have been discussed.
You're essentially asking us to create a tier list placement for Rachel a few weeks after the game is released, which I'm not going to do. But if you want one example of a match-up, I'll go with Ryu, since that's where I have the most experience. Some say he has distance over her, but his distance options are lacking due to the fact that all are quite slow and can be SS'd (we all know Rachel is a competent SS-er). Don't get me started on the roflcopter kicks. Up close, Rachel has a one-frame slower jab. But, she has way better mix-ups off her PP string (on third hit can hit at all levels [her low is +on block] or go for an OH reset or her SS moves, guessing wrong on the mid gets you in a SDS). Ryu has only high-mid mixups that are negative on block or two low pokes that are negative on NH, meaning a standing blocking beats everything. She also has the same frame mid. She has consistently better string mix-ups and low pokes that are +on NH, is safer on basically every string (Ryu has a few pitifully slow guard breaks), has her FT pressure that
leaves her at advantage when whiffed (that really is a one-of-kind sorta thing, Ryu's FT pressure has been nerfed heavily like everyone's, save Rachel), and is a heavyweight, so she can't be juggled for jack. Her holds also deal great damage and put you back into her "blender." Meanwhile Ryu is a midweight with Izunas. So you're left in a position that's basically either "Get in first and hope you never slip up the entire match" or "consistently make perfect reads all the time and get expert holds" and as we all know, "Make perfect reads" will allow you to win every single fight, so it's kind of a wonky strategy.
Usually anti-character threads are for players who have bad matchups (Bass v. Speed characters for example) but all of you people sound like you're just mad, 'cause like Black Mamba, Tenryuga, and Return of the Shadow have stated, most of you DOA players just hate Rachel 'cause you can't mash buttons... all you have to do to fight Rachel easily, is use common sense.
If that were the case, I'd be on an anti-Hayate tirade because I lose to him consistently more than any other character in the roster. But I'm not, because I acknowledge that for whatever reason I'm not that great at fighting him and need to step up my game. It's not a matter of me losing against her (in fact, I've won the majority of my matches against Rachel, though that may be attributed to them being scrubby players); it's a matter of bad game design. At no point do some of Rachel's tools feel competently considered in light of the rest of the cast. It's much the same as my dislike of Alpha.
It seems like any time someone proposes that something "could be better than it is now" they're lambasted for "not being able to adapt." Maybe I can adapt fine but can still see that ideally, the game could be designed better in some areas and that some nerfs and buffs would potentially make it better (even when I can still "deal with it" and "adapt" to the game in its current state).
And seriously, if you knew me better, you would know I do not mash buttons. At all.