I'm pretty sure many people still didn't yet get their ADS mounts, nor were they a limited time thing, so the "incentive" as far as rewards go IS still there. But there's something newer, so people are flocking to that, of course.

I seem to also recall people saying that all the players who wanted to win went to Mael and turned off Freelancer, which, you could easily say by numbers there were bound to be skilled players there, yes? If those skilled players are off doing other things, and Maelstrom suddenly isn't doing so well, does that not just prove my point?

I mean, same thing applies to Rival Wings now. People say "red team always wins" but I've surprisingly LOST more on the Ravens than the Falcons, and certainly not for suddenly playing worse on one than the other. My ability to play well or win isn't affected by my team color at all. It never was. And it never was for anyone else. Though it should be noted - and I know people aren't going to want to hear this - that if the "red team always wins" and you're not on it when that happens, part of it can be because you've convinced yourself that that's true. The placebo effect is quite real, and more powerful subconsciously than you might think.