How this matchmaking system thinks I’m somehow good enough to get anywhere close to AK level of skill is beyond me. The fact that it’s promoting me within so few victories is also mind-boggling. I’m not supposed to be decent at this game. I play on a Macbook Air using the built-in keyboard and a laptop-sized optical mouse. I haven’t turned off, much less tinkered with, any of OS X’s mouse acceleration properties—I haven’t even changed simple things like mouse sensitivity or the model position.

Or is Gold Nova just the middling rank that I think it really is, and the real skilled players start showing up at the Guardian levels? I wish I had some sort of reference as far as player skill and past performance to matchmaking rank. Maybe even a little bit more information about why I was promoted in so few matches. Something like “The last four games you played showed a remarkable improvement over the four before that” or “Winning games against opponents of higher ranks has caused this promotion.” Anything kind of explanation would do.

Rising through the ranks at this speed doesn’t reassure me that the system is working like it should. I don’t feel particularly confident about this rank up.

Oh well. I could always go back to Otela and throw frigates away in duels on EVE Online.