I'd like to preface this by saying I'm very much responsible for this as any others might be. "This" being the increasing wave of players who've reached 860+ ilvl through getting carried by groups who seek level 2-6 keystones. As the Mythic+ system comes to its 1 month anniversary, it's more common than ever that we see players in high ilvl gear performing at the same level or worse than those who are 20-40 ilvls below them. This has not only created a gap between the skill level of the player and the gear they have equipped, but also an air of toxicity and laziness in Mythic 6-8.
Being a warrior myself, I am forced to tank in order to acquire the BiS gear for raiding through mythic dungeons. Thus I've had a much higher rate of exposure to highly geared people who perform at an extremely subpar level compared to what their gear indicates. One should note that having Mythic 4-6 gear doesn't get you to 860+, but the current Warforged and Titanforged system, including Legendaries give people a much higher chance to end up at a level where they technically should not be. While RNG is one part of this problem, the most serious one is how woefully unprepared many of these players are. Over the course of the last week, having run 30 or more Mythic+ dungeons at a 5-8 lvl, it has been an overwhelmingly common trend to see people wearing high ilvl clownsuits with mismatched stats. Rocking no enchants or gems in theirsocketed gear, and in some cases, not being able to properly utilize the legendaries so graciously provided by the Lord Himself
However, beyond the simple mistakes lies a much larger issue. They don't know how to utilize their class properly. Being around 860 ilvl should signify you have either done/are doing Heroic Emerald Nightmare or can regularly run higher end mythics. What it really means for a majority of those players is that they got lucky from the time they got their first 3 chest carry from a +2 to a +5 and afterwards from a +5 to a +7/8. This means that they haven't properly learned the intricacies of their class whether intentional or unintentional. From firsthand experience in regularly carrying level 4-6 Keystones with a group and running solo on 7-9 Keystones as a tank, it is common that at least 1 player does not know how to interrupt or cc. Another thing almost as common is their limited knowledge of dungeon/boss mechanics. Often times, crucial casts go uninterrupted, leading to wipes or overly extended pulls that are very costly (I'm looking at you post Harbaron trash). Classes with long term CC's such as Sap (DH/Rogue/Monk) and Polymorph (Shaman/Mage) do not know how to utilize them well. Also in that same note, the usage of hard cc's such as stuns, knockback, disorients, and mind control type cc's are very limited and if used, often poorly so. Classes with Heroism/Lust do not cast it until they are told multiple times to do so, and priority targets are ignored, resulting in losing out on that extra chest due to the mistakes piling up and losing a lot of time. The knowledge of weekly affixes are also very limited as people mass AoE adds down during Raging and Single Target Focus them during Bolstering. It is very representative of the players having cultivated the "I've got the key, so carry me" mindset that we so often see in Trade Chat.
The unholy combination of RNG loot and easily attained 3 chest carries from the multitudes of groups in Dungeon Finder has created serious Laziness and Toxicity. Often, it is the people who have no enchants, sockets gemmed, and wearing poorly stat-weighted gear that give up first. When faced with serious challenges, they quickly become tilted and act passive aggressive, often intentionally harming the progression. Any criticism given is a blow to their pride which is built upon the shiny. yet inherently worthless gear that they don. Asking for interrupts is often met with "what's an interrupt" or "stfu, I'm a DPS". Often when accepting a DPS or joining a group, I am hesitant to do anything before I inspect each and every member's gear and see if they had enchanted/gemmed their pieces. It is the only line of defense I have in order to not waste the limited time I have to do mythic+ dungeons in the best way I can. In our desire to quickly progress our artifacts, we regularly introduce lower-skilled players into the pool of higher mythics
While many a carry and the carrier may dislike this post, the issue must be brought to light, being that many people are carried through content without actually having to put the effort in, which is why "aspiring" +6,7,8 pugs often become depleted, because one or more players are genuinely not prepared to handle what would be coming at them. This is not only a reflection of the carry system, but also Blizzard's massively luck based Titanforging system. Should it go at a regular, non RNG oriented pace, there would be a definitive gap between the higher end players who would rightfully be at 860+ and the 2-6 Mythic Crowd, who would be in the mid 850's.
All in all, this is not to say that we should stop carrying players, since it would be a massively hypocritical statement by someone who has done more to harm the overall Mythic+ crowd than to help it, but I hope this article brings light to both the Carries and those who Carry to perhaps help the lower skilled individuals improve in their play. On top of that, Blizz might finally acknowledge that overly large upgrades to gear that aren't particularly deserved should be limited.
For anyone who reads this and wants to improve here are a few links to great resources in order to improve:
Preach : For the visual/vocal learners, he provides a lot of general help, including his WarcraftLogs video which is very helpful.
Icy Veins : An incredibly useful site to access guides for your class that details a LOT of things, including Stats, Gems, Enchants, and many more things.
MMO-CHAMPION Forums : You know what it is. Just don't go to deep in, or you'll never get out
Class Discord Servers : An easily accessible Web/Application based Voice and Text source. Often times they discuss the best talents, trinkets, relics, and whatever you may think of. Also filled with some of the best players of the class from all across the world.