This is the real meta, and it needs a nerf

In the current setup, there's no reason not to communicate with your shardmates. It's all based on what you gain most from playing, and what you find the most fun. If you enjoy sniping people's payouts throughout the day, then go ahead and do it, just don't be surprised when you get trained back by several people.

Personally, I enjoy raids the most, and find arena to be a chore. Consequently, I put as little time into arena as possible, which is why I love communicating with shardmates. Get my rank and do battles in a set time period (some time between 2 hrs before payout and payout), then move on with my life with my 500 crystals that I can use to gear toons and enjoy raids more.

There is no 'best' or 'intended' way to play arena. But there is a smartest way, and that's by communicating. Why? Because it is the most effecient use of crystals. If you are able to spend 0 refreshes and hit max rank each day, that's a net gain of 500 crystals. But if you spend 2-3 refreshes a day wasting battles throughout other payouts just to get hit back and try to move up again, then maybe refreshing a single cooldown to lock in at payout, that's 200-300 crystals wasted trying to take top rank, if you even do take that. So then there's a net gain of maybe 200 crystals. You're telling me you'd rather waste more time throughout the day battling everyone and end up with the same crystals as top 20 rank instead of battling for maybe 15 mins total and netting 500 crystals? I wouldn't either, but I don't enjoy arena.