The recent update to additions of Toadette and New Donk City help round out the game's content in general, but the ranked playlist seems to be a way to ensure Super Rush has some longevity in regards to competitive multiplayer. While the sentiment is taking Mario Golf: Super Rush in the right direction, the structure of the ranking system doesn't make a lot of sense, leaving the mode lacking a sense of accomplishment.
When players first jump into Ranked Match, they start at the C- rank. With the way Ranked Match works in Super Rush, all that's required to rise through the ranks is to play a multitude of the three hole rounds that make up the playlist. After each round, monthly points are awarded based on score, participation, and whether or not opponents of a higher rank were defeated. Every month, ranks will reset to a lower tier, but this appears to be the only way to lose ranks, effectively making the entire system superfluous by rewarding quantity over quality of play.
Mario Golf: Super Rush also keeps track of players' world rankings, which appears to be based solely on the number of mostly points accrued. This means that the currently top ranked player in the world is most likely just the person who has played Ranked Match the most since Super Rush's first update was released. The current ranking system is left with a strange feeling where, outside of the new Yoshi colors awarded at the A- rank, gaining ranks is rather unsatisfying.
Mario Golf: Super Rush's Ranked Matches Feel Pointless
For the most part, the competitive edge in many other games' ranked modes comes from players' desire to gain ranks amid the constant threat of potentially losing ranks. On the surface, it's a very simple concept: win games and gain ranks; lose games and drop ranks. Although this is a massive oversimplification of how competitive matchmaking algorithms work, the problem Ranked Matches with Mario Golf: Super Rush method can be seen by the fact that it omits the very important threat of losing ranks. There is absolutely no penalty for playing a Ranked Match in Mario Golf and getting last place.
With this in mind, Ranked Match appears to be no more than a way to keep the monthly player count up. According to Nintendo, every month will have new "character outfits and colors" that can be earned "by achieving certain ranks". This succeeds in getting players online to participate in the asinine grind, but leaves little motivation to continue playing if the ranked ladder means almost nothing. This is further reinforced by the game structure itself.
Every Ranked Match in Mario Golf: Super Rush is only three holes, leaving no room for the better players to truly separate themselves - a problem that could be solved by Super Rush offering online tournaments. It feels like there is no difference between the C- and the A+ ranks because anyone who has played a couple dozen rounds will be in the A ranks regardless of their performance. Instead of providing a legitimately compelling competitive playlist, it feels as though Mario Golf: Super Rush's Ranked Matches were added to lure players back to the game on a monthly basis for new rewards that should have been part of the game in the first place.
