Getting harder and harder to find people in my rank

Just an observation, but I've been trying to get my Jeffry leveled up lately, and it seems like when you hit a particular rank (in my case, Guardian), I get placed in pools with players Warrior and above.

I have not been finding nearly as much similarly ranked players, even when making sure the Ranked cue is set to "similar". I've even tried setting connection levels and disconnection rates to "any", that doesn't change much other than the quality of the match, obviously.

Has anybody else been dealing with crappy matchmaking?

 

@VaguardBronze here's the problem as I see it.

When a fighting game is first released a certain percentage of new players will jump right into ranked and for the first 3 to 4 months there will be a certain amount casuals and new players competing in ranked mode. The advanced players usually take about between 1 to 2 1/2 weeks to get to the top ranks, and that's where they remain. Occasionally top ranked players will create second accounts and climb the rank ladders for fun.

The new players or casual players that don't jump into ranked mode in the first 3 to 4 months will usually play and learn the game in single player mode and with friends and family in VS mode until they feel comfortable enough to compete online in ranked. If a fighting game has significant and quality single player modes, and offline VS modes, then in time new players and casuals will get good enough and have enough confidence to get online and compete in ranked. So games liked Guilty Gear, MK, Soul Calibur, will have new players and casual in ranked well beyond the first 3 to 4 months.

However, if a fighting game does not have significant and quality single player modes and offline modes that new players and casuals can play to get more confidence playing the game, and to get good enough that they feel they compete, then the online mode for that game starts to seriously dwindle after the first 3 to 4 months. After about 6 to 8 months there are very few new players in ranked for a game that does not have significant single player modes. And after about a year, that game's online mode is a ghost town (except for advanced players and loyal players that by then are very high ranked).. After that first year, you usually will only run into a few new comer stragglers and advanced players with second and third, and fourth accounts.

From time to time the FG will release some DLC and there will be some minor blips and up ticks in ranked mode for about 1 to 2 weeks and after that, if the game has no significant single player or offline VS modes. Then new players and casual player move on to other games that do have a comfortable learning environment. Newbies, and casual players typically don't want to learn the game getting there As$es kicked over and over again in ranked online. (That's why good quality Single Player modes are important in Fighting Games) Here's the secret: The online ranked mode is replenished with new players as players get better and more comfortable from playing Single Player Modes

The problem with VF5US is it has no significant Single Player Modes, or offline Vs modes . So the vast majority of new players, newbies, casuals, have no safe space where they can learn the game without getting constantly pulverized by advanced players


So VF5US has plenty of online ranked mode competition at the very highest levels, and a few stragglers at the Dan level or lower, and is a ghost town for all the ranks in the middle.

And after the first 3 to 4 months, the casuals that do play VF5US are playing in private rooms with friends and family and typically don't care about rank.