I don't think reptile is complete trash at all. I think forceballs tbh aren't meant to be zoned with in this game. In the other games I could see it because he didn't have access to a high low game. But in this game he has a high low a strong whiff punisher that gives access to a 1 bar safe launcher in a string for easy hit confirms. A full screen punish on any part of the screen and access to a staminaless movement option.
Forceballs aren't very useful for zoning, but they're not terribly useful for pressure, either. They aren't great for oki unless you spend meter--which Reptile has issues with.
As for the non-Forceball stuff, it's not about what Reptile
doesn't have--he's quite well-rounded--but that the stuff he does have doesn't seem to be working as intended. Both slides are reliable punishes, but for comparison Sub-Zero's gives a hard knockdown. ED
is good for mobility, but I can't help but think that the whiff recovery (and to some extent, the risk if you do it too close and get blocked) undermines that purpose a bit. On most knockdowns you can whiff one for meter, though. That's nice to have.
Reptile's definitely not helpless, but some fine-tuning to Forceballs could straighten out some issues with zoning and meter without going nuts.