I feel like a lot of fast learning players don't get the true geoguessr experience. If someone is good enough, they should be able to progress faster. I'm very sure, there's a lot of people who learn fast or just have an edge, and they find the game boring for a month. Was learning russian rural meta and stuff, then remembered I'm in silver 1 anyways, done my 20 matches, won 18, and no rating in silver, so you can't work on that too. nothing. same thing in 2v2/team duels. VERY VERY annoying I must say. in silver, the map is very "basic" anyways, only major cities, so anyone who's not completely new, will find it BORING. I know why it's easier, it's because you don't want to deter new players. Absolutely, how it should be. But you have to implement some kind of a method, where good players can RANK UP faster. I was once top 7-6k in the world, took a little break, now out here having to wait and such. Mid break, I had the time to study the game, so I've so much knowlage now, can't even use it. (except for offline play, or party, of course) and maybe casual modes. so PLEASE, Keep this type of stuff in bronze - also maybe do it so that when someone MAKES their account, so maybe a complete "newbie" but they're really not, because they watched a lot of YT on geoguessr, maybe they were in the discords, on plonk it, learning stuff, playing on geotastic maybe or something. Imagine that type of person, the 1st month of their subscription to geoguessr, rotting away in silver. or even worse, canceling the subscription at the end of month, and having a very bad taste about the game. For these (and everyone in general included), my solution would be make it a little bit more like last ranked system. The aspect of the "I can grind and get high up quickly", or just the "I can do it" is a LOT. Keeps us hungry for learning, watching, implementing, engaging, in anything geoguessr related. Maybe do it so that everyone plays placement matches, even on a new account, so they can get placed high, and make the placements place normally. If you're "struggling" then let it place you lower, if you're decent, let's place you in mid gold, and if you're really good, place you in high gold. (don't need to go to master, just high gold so it's quite high still.(for a new account that is)). for those coming back, same thing I reckon. Then again, watch out for the fact that you TELL the player they're gonna get their rating based off those matches, so they try. and first get them a maybe bronze player, if they win-go silver-go gold, so on - these micro things are on you guys, to make it as good as possible (also what map & such, silver has it easier and stuff.). Also then what if the player does bad, but they're actually good, maybe they just clicked OK and didn't read the message that was telling them they play very important matches, etc.. maybe make it so that you gain more rating or can rank up to gold FASTER than a normal player after placements. that brings us to, please, why can't I check the leaderboard in duels, as a "current" silver 1. Demotivating? No I'm pretty sure everyone is curious as to where they stand & if the argument is for them to be discouraged/demotevated, I don't think anyone REALLY is. everyone who's in the lower rank isn't expecting to see #1 on there I suppose, & if they are that's just delusion. Even if they see #3.012.587 they will rather get incouraged, cause when they win, it's gonna move for 200k spots up or something.

So conclusion:

Thank you for reading all of this, and let's make it right for everyone! :)