No you are not missing anything. Actually I was answering that question in a different way to Taraz above. If you are optimizing there is many variables at play right now. Top 50 at any leaderboard right now gives you a DEC prize, you can choose to be in any if you can. But the main gig to earn more from the game is tournaments. Top profressionals are only playing the league to keep practice and swag up. The main earning is happening from the tournaments. You should check the stats here and see for yourself :)
https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@jacekw/weekly-splinterlands-tournaments-summary-2021-08-09-2021-08-16
This gives you the idea, who the all time 'who's who' are :)
