I'm not sure you really understood my comment, let's have a theoretical situation like this:
There's a Rank Lockâ„¢ at Ranks 20, 15, 10, and 5.
Let's say that most mechs at Rank 20 have all Epics, and perhaps a Legendary or two.
Most mechs at Rank 15: all Legendaries, maybe even a Mythical
Most mechs at Rank 10: all Mythical with some Divines.
Most mechs at Rank 5: Starting to get to meta-exclusive play.
Let's say you get lucky by fighting some weak opponents with your all Epic mech at ranks 20-16 and get to Rank 15 fairly soon in the game, and while you're still working on getting your first Legendary item, you have to fight all Legendary mechs and you can't escape... RIP to you.