he's not the best zoner though. and even matchup batman gets free get in with Bats as well. he's good for sure but I don't think he's top right now and don't see how he can rise. maybe top mid tier but it's too early to tell on that anyway.
Who would you say is a better zoner? It seems like Cyborg is the better zoner on paper, but I've yet to fight one so it's hard for me to say. I also need to get in some more MU experience against Batman. Right now he does get in free, but I think I might know a way around that. I will say that the Black Adam MU seems incredibly difficult for DS. BA gets in for free, his Dive Kick beats out Sword Flip about 90% of the time, and he can punish a blocked Sword Flip for around 45% damage every time. He can also counter-zone DS pretty effectively. I was not able to find a good strategy for this MU after about 15 games with
Gruntypants BA.
Top tier would imply that he has many one sided match ups....which it's still really early to tell but i don't think he does. It's gonna be his lack of mobility that sets him apart and that 50/50 u speak of....a lot of other character have too....and while his normals have range (J3) they also have slow start ups. All he has for mobility is his dash....no flight....no air dash.....and his back dash is pretty weak and doesn't cover much space. To play his zoning game he has no choice but to back himself into the corner. Also most of the cast can contend zoning wise....but he can not contend with a good rush down. If u play rush down against a good batz....ur gonna get blowing up. He is not as all powerful as ppl think at all. Is he a good pick....of coarse, especially right now cause not many ppl can simply just cannot get in....but in a month from now i bet he's not even an issue anymore.
When I top tier, I'm talking around top 5. It's still super early to discuss specific positions, but I don't think his mobility is as big of a concern as you make it seem. The way his zoning is designed, the responsibility of mobility lies entirely upon his opponent. The only time DS has to back into a corner is when his opponent is making good reads and not getting knocked back by connected gunshots. It's true that most characters have good 50/50's, but a single mistake allows DS to deal around 34%-36% and send you back to full-screen. He also can't be rushed down due to Sword Spin having wake-up invincibility, though some cross-ups can still catch him or mess up his inputs.
As far as one-sided MU's go, it seems like he's got more than a few. Hawkwoman, Lex, Grundy, Bane, Joker, Sinestro; basically any character that doesn't have a good full-screen answer to his zoning. Some of those MU's might end up being closer to 5/5's once new tech starts being discovered, but right now most of them are 6/4's at best.
Overall, I'd say he has the tools necessary to secure a top 5 position on the charts. He's got his flaws, which every character has, but I feel like his strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.
I decided to pick up superman because he was a badass up close but still has decent zoning...and cant the whole cast dash duck the heat zap lol?