2cents from an old bracket care bear-
The pug rules for bgs seem solid and necessary for enjoyment of all. The potential for a healthy bracket is there. Avoid over regulations and giving too much power to a singular or random rule breaker. Let the players in the game at hand deal with the riffraff. Allow the actual community support the rules in game. Two threads of multiple posts moaning, debating, power trips, doom, and gloom of the bracket as a whole is a turn off. You cross from fun forum slamming, activity, and drama to nails on a chalkboard(annoying as hell to most).
Premades are the football games with rules, penalties, playbook, refs, instant replays, and piss tests. Do your recruiting from pug games and truly penalize the rule breakers. Doesn't sound like you're there yet.
Pug games are like dodgeball the rules being boundary lines. If a player steps out in a game that team needs to nail him.....with balls to the face. You are there, you have a player base keep it fun.
As to this thread:
Arenas are a solid idea to encourage growth in. Personally they intimidated me but I was convinced to que some one night with friends and I felt I improved drastically as an individual with each one I qued. I soon looked forward to hopping in arenas. Start with guild organized que times. Down the road open it to the bracket. Put your experienced players with the new to bracket or new to class or if a player struggles against a certain class have him intentionally qued against that class. As gm 's watch your activity increase and teamwork build in the guild. As your guilds grow and desire to be premade worthy(players want to be worthy for a spot too)...they will do their own part in controlling those that step outside the community.
Happy birthday dont have a great time, and no I'm not coming back! I heard a dirty rumor my name made the cut for some silly shirt ....totally ordering one(thanks yoube, wish I'd had more time playing in the bracket honestly....I'll say it 39>29 sorry guys!) kudos guys for keeping things going, you seem to have a few good peeps too. Best of luck.
coco
Obligatory wall o text above^