I've said it over and over, but thanks to Frontline Freelancer (that is, GC Restrictions finally removed, but overshadowed by the Garo event), GCs really don't matter at all anymore. I'm not going to somehow play better or worse just because I'm in Maelstrom now. And if in a premade with friends, we're not going to play better or worse if we're all put in the Adders or Flames. There is no substitute for skilled play. There is nothing more fun than skilled play. But unfortunately, as long as SE won't do something about the bigger issues and keeps applying band-aid fixes to the problem, most players aren't going to bother getting better if they get a fat participation award.

And even if there's a sudden decline in participation, at LEAST those who remain you know are there truly for the sake of competition and active enjoyment.