It's not just in 1v1 and 2v2. I think level 1 confirms should be removed all together because they suck in all modes. Level ones should be about punishing players inability to react to an incoming super, and rewarding players who can time their super well.
edit: if anyone wants to play right now, add me: Ukawok
Its the same shit. You are punishing a players ability react to a set up. The only difference is whiffing a set up isn't that big of a deal. Whiffing a super is irritating. Just get better at learning characters set ups. Adjust how you approach each character differently.
And the person who posted above nailed it. People complain about E.Cole in 1 on 1 situations but THERE ISN'T EVEN A 1v1 MODE. Yeah if they add 1 v 1 then some of these complaints are valid.
E.cole is great at 1 on 1, but only good at 2 on 2, and poor at FFA. His supers are easy to interrupt and have little to no double kill potential.
As far as balancing goes...
Kratos needs some recharge time after his attacks. Slys counter needs to be significantly more punishable. Drake's barrel and machine gun need to be toned down. Less hitstun on the gun maybe more startup time/more punishable. Im not sure about that since I am a terrible drake player.
Spike needs help. His level2 should feel more like radecs. Faster, bigger, move through objects. Right now his level 2 is just a good level 1 not level 2 tier. Also his shock ball should last a bit longer. It should be more comparable to good coles freeze hit confirm. Not too much more than it is now, but reliable.
heihachi needs help. Not sure exactly what he needs though. His pseudo hitconfirm should probably be a confirm. When Kuma is summoned he should come out swinging. Maybe lunge out like that damn hippo and chase afterwards. It would be nice to feel confident in getting AT LEAST 1 kill out of his level 2.
Those are the main concerns. The top tier become managable the bottom tier become competitive. After those 5 get fixed then work on sackboy, dante, Bigdaddy or sir dan.