tbh, idk why so many people bother with this tier thing.. I don't know for the rest but I'd never use a character just because he's considered to be objectively high tier. if you like the XYZ characters , pick those instead of worrying how to train for a high tier character you dislike. like that person , wong or something, he used Kung Lao who is considered to be high tier.. I wouldn't bother training to use Kung Lao though, I like him storywise but I don't like playing as him
I see your point but there are more potential uses for tier lists than just "tier whoring". The best tier lists are set up in match-up style grids. They tell you a quick outline of any character match-up, assuming all player skill to be equal. That alone is a nice, but it gets even better when a big group of people break the tier list down.
Example time! lol
For the sake of this post, let's assume the Ermac vs Sub-Zero match-up is 6-4 in Ermac's favor. For those unaware, this means that if both players are equal then Ermac will win six of the ten matches and Subby will take four. That alone is nice because it lets me as a Sub-Zero player know that Ermac is a match-up to watch out for. What helps me even further is when that tier list spawns a really good discussion. Then we break down that match-up and figure out
why it might be in Ermac's favor. At mid-range, his Force Push can hit Sub-Zero in the recovery frames of his Ice Clone every time. That shatters the Clone, pushes me out of my comfortable range, and drops my health. I can't turtle at long-range because Ermac has a teleport and a solid projectile. If I don't pull off the trade perfectly then I get nothing long-range. Ermac can chip me out or Force Port in to shake me up. So on, so forth.
In my opinion, that is where the true value of tier lists lies.