in my admittedly very brief ventures in 39s, there were at most 2 players who would get anywhere near gladiator-level ratings at 80, and i'm fairly certain they know who they are. the vast majority, on the other hand, were key turning horribles who occasionally managed to win despite being vastly outplayed either because of stupid hunter damage, lack of mana regen or drinking, or ease of resetting with AGM and bandage. similarly, there were wins we just didn't deserve that we got only because we managed to land burns against a target who, from that point on, would be behind on mana with no way to regain it.
39s is about a billion times less balanced than 80, wotlking including. the only reason anybody will disagree with me is because i'm posting this on twinkinfo; try getting opinions on arena junkies or the official forums and you'll see my opinion is much more prevalent.