Yeah but still all top tribes got where there are currently using different techniques.
Vendetta was pre made tribe. Majority of players in the tribe were there before world opened. Majority rule vote. Have it's own academy. Recruitment is closed before war on spank. Indeed have some pp-to win players but still has some very experienced guys. However did some recruitment and adjusted to the world with opening bashed tribe and turning it into the academy.
TMBD family tribes. Very strong leadership. A lot of "power houses", strong tribe. Originally united between ducks and bastards I believe. Did a lot of work in the tribe in order to be where they are, very last tactic - recruitment top members of spanks. Good things in terms of picking decent players but stretching themselves little over the map.
-R-, originally SCS, as far as I know silver carried and still carry their tribe with some other solid players that have skill behind their words. Good tribe, more or less good positioning, some members are kind of far away from main cluster.
I guess everyone knows that indeed TMBD and Vendetta are allied and so far they work prove that SPANK was a joke of tribe coalition.
Personally for me sad thing is that a lot of top tribes recruited a lot of ex-SPANK memebers after there were a war on SPANKS. So personally I consider all ex-spanks who jumped to top tribes and didn't follow their precious leaders to the end as refugees. All of them was given time to leave before war was declared. Also main group of them created new sister tribes in order to try change leadership and leave war on good terms.
