Good points ZLO, and there were always more things planned and many ideas for different system, but that requires coding and until someone finds time to work on it we have to work with what we have. :/
Just my 10 cents but i think some maps chosen are way too pro friendly? Or rather a bit harsh on normal/newer players? I realize that ranked isn't for newbies, but for less seasoned players/normal players, if the maps weren't as crazy hard *cough burmuda and crossfire*, it might encourage more people to play ranked which might get more people into competitive 1v1s/joining tournys later on etc? Anyways, imo, gl!!!! <3
I agree this are hard maps, especially for newer players, and one of them will likely change in 2 weeks, but this are only 2 out of 15 maps. What other maps are not newbie friendly? 20x20 Maps are generally harder to play, that's why we have only 3 of them for the moment, but we have to give something to the people who like them too.
Ranked should not try to favor new players, "normal" players or "pros" but try to be as appealing to all groups as possible. Unfortunately this also means compromises need to be made and all groups need to deal with some of the preferences of the other group.