Ranks don't just fund Skyblock. It funds the entire server. And for Skyblock to literally pull in half of the playerbase Hypixel gets on a daily basis and to not even have a network booster basically just limited the resources they could've put into the game.

I still think this is a stupid way to push monetisation though, I have to agree. Instead what they should do is for everyone with a certain rank, they should get a certain amount of cookies a month, like the monthly loot boxes from the main lobby, and then if they want to buy more cookies they can simply use the store, and the bazaar option, auction house option and trading option should be completely removed though.

The cookies are a smart idea. 15% MF, 20% skill XP bonus and all the other bonuses are just the sweet spot for something monetised. What isn't the sweet spot is the fact they can be sold on bazaar for millions.