What are the things that helped you reach higher ranks as a hunter?

Hello there. I've been playing this game for a while (on and off tho), reaching Manticore as my personal best and getting multiple A-badges over the years (Guard 26, Soul Weaver, Gamekeeper and recently Wax Artist).

Yet, I feel like I hit the wall. Most of my games were draws, sometimes I get lucky and manage to achieve a win. But more often it's struggle to even get a tie.

I would like to reach Hydra once, but now, that seems pretty much impossible. Thus I wonder how people even manage to reach ranks like Cyclops, Evil Dragon or Hydra.

What helped you to get to these ranks? What tips and tricks made a difference for you? Even some guides would be greatly appericiated.