Well, a new season as started, and most teams, even top ones, are doing 10 games per week. In my battlegroup, the top 5v5 teams are doing around 10/15 games week, and that ends up on the lower brackets meeting higher brackets on arenas. Im constantly facing full vengefull or vengefull/brutals in arenas @ 1500+. Im still working on my merciless gear and have a 50% win, i really think its not that bad. Skill counts, and gear matters.

As for what rating requirements stand for, well, i really would love to have some s4 shoulders, but would it be fun, like in S1/S2 everyone would look like pro's ?
ur gear is mainly, the weapons u have, and the shoulders, i mean, thats what sticks out right ?
Thats why there's ratings lol, to actually feel different from those peeps that do 10 a week on 1000 rating.

It just widens the gap between good players and really good players, pushing the good players down while the really good players go into extra extra easy mode.
That's exactly the point. If ppl are really skilled, they must look different from everyone else that isn't, therefore, earning gear :P