Well, sonicfan_1939, if you (or anyone else for that matter) want to compete in Shadow, then now is a really good time to do so because I've been taking the time to make a few guides to help people out. Also, let me give you some tips and pointers:
1) Read guides and watch videos for reference.
2) Have perseverance as well as patients, and you should be able to obtain some pretty nice stats.
3) If you think you have a nice idea for a strategy, try it out and see how it works for you, you may be surprised with your results.
Good Luck and I hope this helps you!!