Dudley vs. Balrog - Dudley is looking like one of the better characters in the game, especially from word of mouth. Balrog's Dirty Bull Ultra seems only useful to me if you cannot execute Headbutt to Ultra 1 at all. Then again, his first Ultra has other uses such as "Keno-eyeing." It remains to be seen how changed Balrog is from vanilla SF4, but he seems to be the same.
Guy vs. Guile - Guile still sucks in my opinion as his Sonic Hurricane Ultra makes him a little better, but not much. It probably depends on how improved his normals are. Guy, however, is one of those characters that can be deadly in the right hands, so there will probably some standout players using him.
Rose vs. Sakura - Actually I think Rose's Soul Satellite Ultra makes her a little better since she would have a temporary shield. Doesn't mean she is a better character in general as she looks the same. Sakura also seems the same even with a fireball ultra. I don't see both of them going up or down in the tier list.
Ryu vs. Ken - Expect these two mainstays to still be the popular characters to go with when the game comes out, which means the flowcharts return equaling another dumb online experience against random people. Ryu's regular Shoryuken being 2 hits (medium and fierce) does change him up a bit and supposedly Ken has improved in terms of faster moves to be in par with the other shotos since I think he's the weakest shoto in vanilla SF4.
Makoto vs. FeiLong - I actually like Makoto in this game as most of her 3rd Strike game is intact. Of course, it will be tougher against fireball characters since projectiles are useful unlike 3rd Strike. I'm just not sure if saving up for the super rage and then her first ultra would be worth it, since her other EX moves seem useful. FeiLong seems to be the same despite the new counter ultra, which I'm not a fan of those in general.
E. Honda vs. Vega - I like Honda in this game compared to vanilla SF4 because of his grab ultra. I'm still not sure to believe that he would be dangerous against fireball characters HD Remix style of EX Headbutt going through fireballs. It would be nice to have making a way better character than now. Vega seems to be the same despite a better and useful second ultra.
Blanka vs. Seth - Seth, especially according to word from the streets, is a way better character, making him nastier than ever compared to vanilla despite still having the lowest health. Just as long as he does not get hit, he is still dangerous and annoying to fight at least. Plus, having an anti-air Ultra is another reason he is significantly better in Super. Blanka seems unchanged to me despite having the Shout of Earth Ultra as he can still be annoying to fight against most of the time.
Adon vs. Sagat - Sagat definitely seems nerfed as everyone claimed to be, but not much. His BnB to Ultra combo is still there, but with the Tiger Cannon, it does seem to do much damage compared to his Tiger Destruction Ultra, so I think Sagat players will stick to his first ultra. Adon definitely looks like Adon from past games as I like his FADC Ultra combo connecting all the way despite the damage scaling.
C. Viper vs. Ibuki/Dhalsim vs. Cammy - I love Viper's 2nd Ultra even though there are not as many opportunities to land it like her first one. Once again, she is still one of the better characters in the right hands. Ibuki is also another character that would be deadly in the right hands as it seems like she could have her own vortex setups, but that remains to be seen. Dhalsim is what I expected him to be since he is somewhat better with his second ultra and Cammy's new ultra is a counter like FeiLong's, which I guess can be useful in certain situations. Here at SoCal, we have been witnessing somewhat of a mini Cammy movement with more players using her and going far as well such as James Chen, who started it basically, along with the U.S. number one player Justin Wong using her as a secondary since she is like a female Rufus with her dive kick as well as Combofiend, who recently starting using her in tournaments.
Guy vs. Cody/Gen vs. Dan - Cody is a solid addition to the roster to me which his own shenanigans. Dan is well still Dan even though he has a fireball ultra and Gen supposedly went through some drastic changes according to the community that has played it so far, but we will still see it certain tactics like his MK to Chop links are gone in the final game.
Cammy vs. Chun-Li - Refer to what I said about those two earlier.
Ryu vs. Ken/Abel vs. Dudley
Juri mirror, Abel vs. Dudley (Again)
Akuma vs. Gouken
Dee Jay vs. Rufus
T. Hawk vs. M. Bison
Zangief vs. El Fuerte
