I did the same thing you did trying to figure out how to start from scratch. That's my terganftp account. Its tough and slow going. Splintertalk is a good way to earn a few DEC and SPS airdrops but it will be very slow going to start with.

Also, now that DEC don't drop until Bronze II it has certainly gotten harder for free to play gamers. Good luck and interested in seeing your progress :)