I have not left Initiate 1 after and still win matches against Alchemists. I only play with friends and their rank has kept going up but mine has never moved, so clearly something is playing up.
I wouldn't worry about the skill rating at this time. I have nearly 1K hours, and I have beaten teams with descendants when I was an emissary. Ranks do not represent how much you know about the game or how much you know about the strengths and weaknesses of your main hero. I would try to enjoy the game as it's still in the closed testing phase.