@Conscript_Joe and I were discussing the information you provided in your post and I think we came up with a unified recommendation to what is being formally proposed that we’d like to discuss.
Deltas:
+Add a 3rd matchmaking queue for 2-3-4.
+Add an opt-in “free for all” option for lower tiers to match into upper tier games.
+Make 2-3-4 map selection rules work like 3-4-5 map rules.
This additional matchmaking queue would produce the following benefits:
+Expose new players to the “high tier” maps as early as Tier 2
+Expose new players to the “high tier” weapons as early as tier 2(keeping in mind they can scrounge from corpses)
+Hopefully reduce abandonment rates by Tier 3s
+Improve matchmaking times for tiers 2 and 4 by allowing each to match across 4 different tiers into 2 separate queues
+“Free for All” would help Tier 5 wait times and restore the chaos needed for an effective wargame
+In 3-4-5 matchmaking, give priority to those tiers, then pull in 1s and 2s with “FFA” set to reduce upper tier wait times.