I don't even think there is any value in a straight numbering or in not mentioning variations.
Better would be:
Top tier Variations: Capable of winning the most stacked tourneys/EVO, no hard counters
High tier Variations: Capable of winning regionals, a handful of unfavourable matchups, possibly a hard counter or 2
Mid Tier Variations: Capable of winning locals, numerous soft/hard counters
Low Tier Variations: Completely unviable
i dont really like how you state "capable of winning" because low tier has won huge tournments before. remember the last time we had street fighter 2 at evo, snake eyez won with zangief, who was always considered to be the worst character in the game, and sf2 is a pretty fucked up game. we also had harley in numerous top 8s in injustice. this is my suggestion
Top tier Variations: best characters in the game, no unfavorable matchups, if any
High tier Variations: few unfavorable matchups, maybe one or two hard counters. if not, mostly even with a handful of favorable matchups and few unfavorable matchups
Mid Tier Variations: has several unfavorable matchups. has few favorable if any
Low Tier Variations: mostly unfavorable matchups. has no favorable or even matchups if any