Honestly, the old Top 100 players & clans did not produce cocky players who did not respect their underlings. Some good players took the ranking seriously and worked their way up; other good players simply ignored it and just went with the flow. It was a nice addition to the experience but by no means dominating or undermining it. Of course, the system could easily be exploited via multiple accounts. That's why everyone took it with a pinch of salt.... but then again there were some players who showed true effort in climbing the ladder and these people were genuinely recognized by the community, as they should.

Giving a competitive edge to the game is always a good thing, IMO.