PBSR just accelerates your SR change. If anything it probably results in even closer SR/MMR values, though I do not know for certain how it interacts with the SR/MMR split.
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Meaning: “Your MMR is far from your SR and should be closer”.
PBSR is pushing players towards MMR, which system considers “the player’s”. The system clearly has some predisposition in mind about everyone below Diamond 
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Has it occurred to you that MMR is working just fine on Free for All? The reason you’re seeing vast jumps in skill when taking first place is because first place is indeed many times as valuable as the other placements. FFA comp also has much less information about every player, since it’s new, so that’s another reason you’d see larger swings in skill. There’s also less players: bigger swings in skill.
FFA comp is a small taste of what an MMR reset would actually mean. You complained about struggling to reach diamond, but that’s actually quite impressive; plenty of GMs placed in that vicinity. Low master was top 100 a couple days ago. You are basically complaining that the MMR was out to get you when you approached diamond , when in fact it was just putting you against the other people approaching diamond… many of whom are quite good.
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For all we know PBSR is applied to the underlying MMR in addition to the SR. As I said, PBSR’s relationship with MMR/SR is unknown. They said it basically did nothing at the higher ranks when they removed it, if I’m remembering right. In the long run it probably does nothing other than move vastly misplaced players to the appropriate rank quicker.
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It’s not revealed because it’s not a player friendly number, it probably changes in ways that seem unfair or capricious; it also is dependent on multiple values rather than just a single one, so it’s harder to display the information in a useful way to the player. All this is why SR exists in the first place: SR is not quite as accurate at determining skill as MMR, but it’s close while also being much consistent and fair, so they use that for the rewards and bragging rights.
I wouldn’t mind MMR being revealed, but don’t try to imply it’s some sinister conspiracy to keep it hidden.
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They removed PBSR in higher ranks to prevent stats-hunting and encourage teamplay (figures - we, belowdiamonds, do not deserve to play for wins only).
Anyway, whatever the reason it was removed. You see, the problem with SR in OW is - it is no way a measurement of player’s skill. Because:
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It takes at least 20 games during a season to stop fluctuations due to matchmaker uncertainty. WTH, I’m playing for 5 seasons without breaks, and it still has uncertainty every 2 months??
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There are two invisible to player factors, affecting his SR movement - MMR and PBSR. We, as you have just said, have no idea about their relations -> we have 0 control of our advancement.
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SR for flex players is total garbage, since the skillsets for different roles (let alone, characters) are completely different. IT is MUCH easier for matchmaker to correctly rate a onetrick player, then flex player (your C.O.).
So, when a game tries to match players into teams, based on “certain SR range” (which is also unknown after season 7 changes), it effectively is using pointless metric. You could argue, that they match players according to MMR (I know, they do). But what insight about your gameplay can this fact give you? That you are at the same MMR bracket with that idiot one-trick DPS instalocker? Well, thanks, but no thanks.
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The number one thing that sticks out to me in all the developers comments is the “certainty” factor. As in, once you’ve played enough games the system is “certain” of where you should be and prevents you from going up even if you actually do improve as a player.
I’ve been a high plat (like 2800ish) player since season 2 when they started using the current SR system. This season I started playing Brigitte and I’ve been destroying, I have like a 70% win rate with her over 50 games or so, and guess what? I’m still sitting right around 2800 because I get like 15 points for a win and lose 25 for a loss, as in the matchmaker is so certain that 2800 is where I belong that it bends my SR gains to keep me there even though I’m winning at a much higher rate, but it has no ability to see that it’s because of me playing a new character and improving at the game not just some insane luck streak, it’s really annoying.
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It seems like you’re leaving out a lot of my context in order to make your point work. To put it into simple terms I’m saying that I made it to Diamond easily by not allowing myself to get first place, but instead get 2nd and 3rd to avoid the matchmaker from overestimating my ability and placing me in matches that are too difficult, too early.
I will say that I could be wrong about this because it is too early to say with FFA, I need to give it more time; I had 9 seasons of 6v6 comp to base my other opinions on, but this already looks like more of the same.
We do agree that an MMR reset would make no sense and be pointless.
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PBSR has nothing to do with your hidden MMR vs your SR. All it means is that if you play really really well, both your SR and your MMR go up quickly (or down slowly). If you play really really bad, both your SR and MMR go down quickly (or up up slowly).
Your SR still matches your MMR, PBSR only influences how quickly they change.
By too early do you mean before you’re actually at that skill level? I agree that if you play abnormally well for a few games, rank up really really fast, and then have to lose a bunch of games at a level way above your actual skill it wouldn’t be very pleasant.
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You’re probably overestimating your ability to manipulate the skill of your opposing players, though you clearly realize that at most it’s just changing how quickly you would face them.
Consider that attempts after a couple days may result in easier competition as the top tier players rise out of diamond. Maybe placing first wasn’t your issue but instead just playing the first few days.
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“It is in no way a measurement of player’s skill”
This is the crux of why your argument is insane, no matter how you try to word it, or how much uncertainty there is in how the system actually works. It is clearly a measurement of skill. You can guess within ~500 SR the skill of all the players in a match just watching them. There is clear progression in skill across ranks. Players with multiple accounts typically find the SR will converge across the accounts over time.
The system consistently places players, and it puts them ascending order of skill. I’m not sure what definition of measuring skill that could possibly fail to meet. As to the rest of your post…
You do control your advancement. Improving your skill improves your advancement. Winning more games is always the best way to progress, no matter how much of a cargo cult there is on these forums about imagined ability to manipulate PBSR or matchmaking.
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A lot of players are saying they’ve improved since the game launched, yet they’re still at the same SR as previous seasons. If you’re getting better at the game, why aren’t you ranking up? You can blame the ranking system itself, but there’s another factor at play. The overall skill of the community is ALSO increasing as the game ages. Look up the Red Queens Race, even though you’re playing better, what is expected of you to maintain your rank is increasing at about the same speed. You need to be improving faster than the community as a whole to rank up, and that requires real effort.
Another aspect of ranking up is adapting to new metas. If you get a streak of wins and your MMR skyrockets, you’re going to end up in a more challenging game. Suddenly, things that weren’t serious mistakes 3 games ago get punished, and your team absolutely crumbles because you’re breaking their expectations of how your hero should perform. Your DPS will fail if you’re not making space for them, your healers will die because you never learned what proper protection is, you’re getting assassinated because your game awareness has never been challenged. All of those things add up to your team losing without it being obvious that the problem is you.
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The reason PBSR exists, in theory at least, is so that your teammates can’t hold you back forever while you’re below diamond. You get bonus points for performing well on the heroes you play. In theory, you’ll fall slower and climb faster if you belong higher in the ranks, and the opposite will happen if you belong lower.
In theory, it’s not a bad thing to have in place. The problem can come in to play with how it’s implemented, even if its problems aren’t intentional (are people truly punished for swapping, meaning it only works as it should for one-tricks?, etc.), and we simply can’t know for sure without them showing us some more information… which, like all other things related to the specifics of the matchmaking process, they aren’t going to do. 
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I’ve recently experimented around one idea - how much “skill” in ow depends on a player, and how much on hardware. By increasing FPS on my laptop to steady 100 only my accuracy with 76 has increased by 6%, not to mention lower input lag. Since then, I’ve gained around 200 SR and keep climbing.
It had NOTHING to do with my skill as a player. It had a lot to do with PBSR, thou. My in-game stats have improved, not my gameplay. The game simply manages to register more shots.
I have a post here on forums, where I ask diamond and above players about their PC performance. Most of them have system, capable of producing 144+ FPS. I know, there are people in gold with this kind of systems, but I suspect it is not for long and due to lack of understanding of complex systems, which ow is.
There is nothing “imaginable” about PBSR and matchmaker manipulation. Anyone can throw games so hard, that they will derank. Does their skill change? No. Just number of games won and lost has impact. Why deny obvious facts?
And by guessing within 500 sr you could miss an entire tier ![:wink:](https://d74zh8edaijub.cloudfront.net/en/overwatch/images/emoji/twitter/wink.png?v=5" ":wink:")
so be carefull with those guesses.
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I know why PBSR is there. It also helps. But it works in strange ways. I record my games results. It is clear, where I got PBSR bonuses and fines, but sometimes I just can’t see the logic in their appliance.
For what it’s worth, I hit low GM before and I run 60 fps max, though I am jealous of 144hz and may eventually upgrade.
While better hardware is an uneven advantage unrelated to skill, it is something you simply must accept in competitive pvp. It does not make someone automatically GM or prevent it; most people have access to a good enough machine to reach even the highest ranks, and certainly to hit diamond.
PBSR isn’t why better hardware helps. Being more accurate with a character improves your stats, yes… But the result is contributing more to your team, so of course it’s rewarded by PBSR. It would be dumb if it wasn’t rewarded; you are performing better and in the long run would win more, and it’s silly for the game to ignore this improvement just because you got it via a better mouse or monitor.
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Imagine, what can you achieve on 144 fps…
We, 60 fps players, are handicapped by our greed or inability to earn enough money to buy 144+ FPS-capable systems!
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I see this thrown aroung a lot here but there is a flaw in this argument.
Everyone is improving at the game -The whole playerbase is a lot better than they were in S1 - If you want to climb you will have to improve FASTER than the average player at your rank.
You hitting more shots makes you more valuable to your team - so yes your gameplay has obviously improved and your SR reflects that.
For what its worth I also hit GM on 60hz - I have a 144 now and its really nice but really not a 1000SR difference nice.
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I will point out the fact, that my human reflexes, hand-eye coordination and other traits didn’t change - only the game environment changed for me. I am pretty much the same player, as I was. My pc is less holding me back, however.
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You’re forgetting the concept of turnover. Many experienced players have quit, and new players get into Competitive Play all the time. Match Making Rating gives new players an unfair advantage in the Skill Rating system.
That is what made me quit playing Overwatch. All the hours of practice that an experienced player has, and all the effort they make from match to match, is ultimately used against them.
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