I have played in events like this before, as many will have, and you have to keep fighting till the bitter end and that in a split second someone can pip you to the post. You have to wait to find out. As a tactic, or through not checking their star, or until some switched on person says don't forget to check you have opened all your bags, suddenly lots of tokens from bags will have been deposited and everything change in a nano second.
Whether we all started at 'Good Try' or in 'Gold' there would be drawbacks , I am more motivated by trying not to slip down than to have to step up and it seeming impossible.
With regard to the Leader Board not being accurate this may be the case maybe it was bugged. It is sad that we have to see it frozen in time until next Maintenance and inclusion of the Christmas Event. Of course, it would not be an exceptional error if the timing was that close.
My Guild has only 14 members and not all were available to take part but those that could worked relentlessly, despite believing it unlikely we would get past 'Good Try'. As we all started in Gold we saw ourselves slip into Silver and back up into Gold we were within 50K at one point below the bottom of the leader board and we fought hard to get on it even if it was for a few minutes. 50/90K we knew we could get within a few hours. But of course all had the same thought

But then none of us could get into the game for nearly a whole morning which took that possibility away.
We did get Gold and so happy because yes, as we thought, small is not just beautiful it is workable. It must be that the event is structured to give all a fair chance whatever the size of their membership. It really is for Guilds of 2 and upwards.
Hearty congratulations to the winner, and all on the leader board - we didn't make it this time but maybe next, who knows, what we do know is that we shall try.