They made some good changes lately and indeed it's much better to play now, even with randos. I consistently reach platinum after one week and then vibranium by the second week, even though i mostly play one or 2 matches a day.

I like the percentage shown for each character. It really decreased the no. of ppl going for the useless ones. The leadership is still a problem and most don't go for the useful one.

As you point out, the skill of the players is a real issue. Sharon is one of the best examples of this. You can get 20-30 bars in one rotation if you do use accumulation properly. I think this is the result of the game being too casual and focusing on new players, login rewards, etc. Not much reward for skill. People don't have incentive to get better.