User blog comment:B214/Volume 23 discussion blog/@comment-2208155-20170324141406/@comment-31137559-20170324153710

Rating Games aren't just a pure test of strength. A Rating Game is basically a battlefield with the two kings being the commanders. Sometimes pure strength will be enough, and sometimes it will be meaningless as we saw during Issei vs Cao Cao in Volume 12. We have to see what kind of Rating Game it is, if Issei does his research on the enemy, if he uses tactics and strategies that'll stop the gods in their tracks, etc. On a battlefield, you can't whine about the enemy having the larger force or being more well-trained. It comes down to the king's judgement. Going into Rating Games with a pure strength mentality is a good way to lose and become overconfident.

Look at Rudiger Rosenkreutz who's the 2nd ranker in the Rating Games now. It stated nothing about him being stronger than the opponents he has beaten. It has stated that he's very difficult to fight and he is feared because of his tactics. And he has beaten STRONGER teams and made a name for himself in the Underworld.