If you think people want DUELS to determine how good you are, you can fuck off. You can fuck off so hard. What you are basicly asking for is: "I can have rank one, but only after I take a lot of items and TC from noobs who don't know what an Alt is, or risk all my own items and TC for that sweet rank 1."
Rank one should be played for. Not farmed. Not risked. Played.
Back in the original topic, the new ranking system has made me less intrested in the game and for its own good needs to be changed. The only reason I still play is because first, I'm part of a clan, and I enjoy the occasional war, second, bet servers are fun to hang around in, and third because my laptop is shit and TB is about the only thing that runs on it now that FTL has decided it doesn't want to run modded anymore.
I agree with moop: Hampa, either let the game die, or give it to someone who will do regular updates and matinence with a devoted and possibly paid team.