You feel like proving me right?That's a weird way to spell "at most, when I feel generous".
Yes there are alot of characters that can make comebacks, but they can't do it like Vergil can. As in, even if it comes down to anchor vs anchor, Summoned Swords makes everyone free with only Strider being able to do the same shit.5 meters plus x-factor usually means a comeback for most characters dude.
But 5 meters and x-factor is a means to cover Vergil's shortcomings (long recovery on normals aren't so long, the meter allows Vergil to cover himself and cancel out of whiffed attacks, allows him to get in where as no meter (no air dash etc.) wouldn't, whereas for other characters x-factor and high meter is a means to enhance their strength.
Any character can be Xfactor guard cancelled, but when you have SS or Ouroboros covering you, they have to defend at most times. Although I have been jabbed by Wesker from a raw teleport with SS on before it's not guaranteed , it's certainly not a free punish.If Vergil ever -is- a threat on anyone's team (in competitive play, I don't know anyone who uses Vergil in high level tournament play where Vergil is their best) - but if Vergil were to be a particular players best character, he's X-factor guard cancel bait, free - so easy all day. It's so easy to confirm a x-factor roman cancel off of any of Vergil's slow as shit recovery normals. With abysmally low health, that's a dead Vergil. Especially after an advancing guard.
You bring up all of the important parts and this is definitely what prevents him from being an S tier character. I think that even with his weaknesses present, the lowest he would round out would be the bottom of A Tier, simply because alot of his tools negate the effectiveness of others(Hawkeye, Jean, Arthur). I'm not even trying to say that Vergil is the best in the game or anything, but mid tier... no.It's a fundamental oddity in Vergil's game in which he either needs assists and/or a copious amount of meter just to set himself up for the prospect to do damage, not even guaranteed damage, just the prospect of it. Moreover, the use of Spiral Swords invariably fucks combos up due to hit scaling and the like. And due to Vergil's poor defensive game, he now has to seemingly burn meter just as a means of defense to get people off of them.
Vergil's got some crazy strengths but has a lot of holes in his gameplay. And I think we're seeing a lot of these holes getting exposed in tournament play. Still an overall decent character though, but just consider how much meter Vergil needs to do his "thing" - when all that meter can be applied to another character for more reachable gains.