As a top 500 predator playing apex with friends is impossible.

@SDS_JuggernautTV I actually understand this and have run into it. Especially when playing with my nephew, he definitely can't hold his own in the lobbies I end up in. If we play trios, our third has to be decent or we get slaughtered because it's really me and the third carrying my nephew. So I get it.. But what is the answer? We need some sort of SBMM so players can find an area competitive for them. Ranked is a different beast than non ranked. Ranked is where competitive players go to game competitively not necessarily play with people of equal skill. Non-ranked in my mind is the area I go to just game casually, mess around and not grind.

I've also been in the position in which I game with a someone of similar skill to you. I definitely struggle in those lobbies and rarely come in clutch to save the team. If they go down I typically end up going down as well.

Perhaps SBMM needs more refinement in which it averages the teams stats and selects the lobby based on that average? My worry with this, is that people will abuse it to get into lower skill lobbies.