We can separate Characters in Smash in different archetypes: Rush-Down, Heavy-Hitter, Spacing, Zoning and Jack-Of-All-Trades.
Rush-Down Characters (your "mobility creep") are always the most hardest to balance. There whole job is to run in for damage and escape before getting hit. Since hitting is the most important part in a fighting game, there specialization of escaping can become too good and give them all the means to control the pace of the battle. Especially in a game like Smash, where there is more room to run and the ability to gimp people. The true weakness of a Rush-Down character should be its problem of power and stamina. A Rush-Down character doesn't do much damage, therefore needs more time to KO an opponent, which in return gives his opponent more opportunity to score with his stronger attacks. In Smash there should also have a harder time KOing opponents and also always be Glass-Cannons, so that every mistake of a Rush-Down Characters hurts even more.
Here also lies a big problem. If you don't do much mistakes, there downside becomes meaningless. Pro Players are very good in mastering the game as your average player. So they will less likely do enough mistakes, in which the other archetypes can profit from. Never design a character in a fighting game around "hard to control". Someone will master it and dominate the game. Melee and Brawl had already big problems with this archetype, which still dominating the landscape. PM solved the problem for it by making every character a Semi-Rush-Down-Character, which in returns means giving up on the other archetypes.
In solving the problem for real, Smash 4 actually expend in some attack-types: Invincible Frames, Heavy and Super Armor. Trading damage for an successful hit is a great way to counter a Rush-Down-Character. The weak damage output of them almost always gives the armor-user the better deal. But in my opinion the developers of SSB4 properly didn't go far enough. Characters like Bowser, Ganondorf, Ike, Dedede and Charizard should have even more attacks of those types. In return Rush-Down-Character should get less to no disjointed hitboxes to increase the chance of failure and successful counters. Another way to create more disadvantages for Rush-Down-Characters, is to increase the shield-damage or the lasting effects. The archetype should be afraid in using them to often and instead have to mainly rely on there evading options.
One big problems is the missing of another fighting-game archetype: the Grappler. In Smash Bros there were only unintentional Grappler so far (Of course, i mean the Ice Climbers and King Dedede in Brawl). Grappler can be a natural counter to Rush-Down-Characters, since they all about not letting the opponent escape. But the classic Grappler don't work in Smash, since there is too much room to escape and the game is about smashing, not grabbing your opponent for a KO. In Smash Grappler need to work differently and Bowser, Ike, Ganondorf, Dedede, Donkey Kong and Charizard come close to this. They have big, lasting hitboxes with a lot of range and power. There goal should be to shutting down any room to escape, so that the opponent is trapped near the edge of a stage. Trying to escape, means walking into the strong attacks of a Grappler. In contrast to Spacing-Characters, which try to hit with mid-range attacks and pokes, Grappler play with fear and increasing the chance of mistakes. So that a there is an increased chance of there very strong and slow attacks to hit.
But why isn't this effect enough right now? Either people didn't work out the tactic and are not used to play the way, the supposedly Grappler-characters don't have enough tool to work with (more attacks with Invincible Frames, Heavy and Super Armor for example), other mechanics are in the way (properly rolling or mutli-air-doges ) or the Rush-Down are unbalanced (possible too much Grab-Range or Escape-Tools).
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