from reading the posts, this is where stuff gets very opinionated and no one can draw the line. if you wamt, why not just go to the BNs who DO rank your so called sotarks style of maps. the ranking system should serve as the time capsule for all kinds of "refined maps," for what ome may interpret such a term as. therefore BNs should too. i think there is no problem in his style of mapping. most BNs think otherwise. then talk to the BNs who dont think otherwise. check the latest ranked maps for their BNs.
there's no such thing as sotarks style imo... meaning sotarks does not define the style. he is only famous for utilizing it. the problem after first and second ranked maps comes on over-relying on him or any other specific mapper themself to dictate how the style should follow. mapping doesnt need to be copies of ideas. its taking from the old and translating them into your own ideas (sure there are maps cpoying other mappers but thats momentary, the problem is for long term cases). if you consider the ideas usually seen in his maps to be yours, and you can really use them in your head as if they were naturally yours, then there shouldnt be a problem.
maybe they said that people trying to copy those styles die out eventually is because the style is really... boring and repetitive. meant for playing. what those mappers saw was the mappers themselves, how they might get bored. s i said already, if you consider those styles to be yours and naturally yours, then i dont think getting bored will happen for a while. maybe sometime, but not for now.
imo dont let the comments stop you. it shouldnt be really a thing to tell someone "dont map in this style since _____ (some profound reason like pp or generic)." thats the mappers idea. if he can defend it with good logic, then why not? if sotarks could rank all his "pp"ish maps, i think you could find a way too. if no BN would like to rank it, thats pretty unfortunate. darn.