People expecting the matchmaker to get it right immediately when you're matched based on your league. And your initial new tournament rank is at least partially based on your tournament history. Which is why I don't get why people were fussing about the matchmaker last week. It's gonna take at least a little time for people to be in the right league. People complained and plarium messed with the bots because they thought bots were letting people rank up too quickly, and so they reset us all to zero and we have to deal with jank ass matchmaking again and now stronger bots

Plarium shouldn't have based our ranks off of history in the first place after any major changes. They should have started everyone off the same way they did at first season. Many of us know that hangar SP and ranks will resolve itself. It's the here and now that is the issue. That's why the original post was titled a "rant."

The "losing on purpose" approach is definitely more needed now than it was in the first iteration of this format. In that iteration I found myself inching forward in points knowing it would lead me to a tournament rank that I wouldn't be able to sustain. But even when it did I earned enough to be satisfied with my win/loss rate. (I considered losing on purpose but decided not to, to experiment.)

Now I have no choice. At the rank I'm at (master), in the first day's games for the most part I either lost or placed low on the winners table. But I topped twice somehow, which moved me towards grandmaster.. a rank I definitely don't belong in (5k hangar).

So, as you said in the OP, deliberately losing is looking like it will be a normal and necessary strategy for everyone that doesn't have a maxed out hangar. That's not exactly a recipe for a fun and successful game mode.

We understand your frustration.

Matchups with large SP differences and limited rewards in those situations can feel unfair. 

Early in the system, some imbalance can occur while ranks settle, but your feedback is valid and important.

We’ll make sure this is shared with the team.

"some imbalance can occur while ranks settle "

Actually the problem the OP raised is that not only do we have to wait until the ranks settle, but even after the ranks settle many players will have to deliberately lose some games regularly to avoid going to a rank which is too high for their hangar. And imagine any poor team mates who get the short end of the stick because one or more players decided to try and lose that particular game. 

This, combined with the fact that teaming up can actually be disadvantageous, means that this game mode becomes more about number tactics and underhandedness than about playing. 

You got the balance right the first time. That's what's frustrating.

and then they "fixed it" :) and now they will "fix it" again :)

Are you kidding me some imbalance. All you have done is push cheating and screwing over your teaates. This change is a complete slap in the face to all players. Your original crappy tournament was so many ch better than this joke of a game mode. I truly hope people leave the game and it gets shiur down and all of you employees who put in place loose their jobs. You deserve to be fired for support and encouragement pathetic excuses of a game mode. Trash is all it is and I hope it's downfall of this game because the players deserve so much better. 

Dear Plarium Play team,

I am writing to you to express a complaint regarding the matchmaking system in the Mech Arena tournaments. In my case, I have a hangar with a power level of 2300, but in recent matchups, I have been paired against opponents with over 5000 power. This, frankly, undermines the fun and the fairness of the game, making it neither balanced nor competitive. I have invested over five seasons in the gold passes, and I have purchased numerous mechs and weapons with real money. However, for the past two seasons, I have been struggling, along with many other players, due to this power abuse in the competitive tournaments. I kindly ask that you review this system and seek solutions to ensure a fair and balanced experience for all players.

I know in advance that the task is arduous, and putting myself in your shoes, I realize it must be quite difficult to please everyone. However, I believe a possible solution is, let's say, matching strictly by hangar, with exactly the same power level. I think that in the algorithm or in the solution, this shouldn't be too complex, and it would surely solve many of the problems we, both paying and non-paying players, are facing. 

Sincerely, EODAH!

Estimado equipo de Plarium Play,

Me dirijo a ustedes para expresar una queja respecto al sistema de emparejamiento en los torneos del juego Mech Arena. En mi caso, poseo un hangar con un poder de 2300, pero en los emparejamientos recientes he sido asignado a oponentes con más de 5000 de poder. Esto, francamente, desvirtúa la diversión y la competitividad del juego, haciendo que no se sienta ni justo ni equilibrado. He invertido durante más de cinco temporadas en pases de oro, y he adquirido numerosos mech y armas con dinero real. Sin embargo, ya llevo dos temporadas sufriendo, al igual que muchos otros jugadores, este abuso de poder en los torneos competitivos. Les pido encarecidamente que revisen este sistema y busquen soluciones que garanticen una experiencia justa y equilibrada para todos.

Sé de antemano que la labor es ardua y debe de ser poniéndome en vuestro lugar, bastante difícil contentar a todo el mundo, pero creo que una solución posible es, digamos, emparejar sí o sí por hangar exactamente con el mismo poder. Creo que eso en el algoritmo o en la solución no debe de ser algo tan tan complejo y seguramente solucionaría muchos de los problemas que tenemos tanto jugadores de pago como jugadores de no pago. 

Atentamente, EODAH! 

Thanks for sharing. I get what you mean, and I’m sorry that you’re having this experience in the game.

Matchmaking is a complex system that we’re constantly working to improve. It’s not an easy fix, but the team is actively working on it and doing their best to make it better. We hope you’ll start noticing improvements soon and have a smoother experience overall.