I came back, at the end of june, from a 9 months hiatus. Didn't feel like joining an alliance. I was grinding arenas and doing DQ.
I've decided to join an ally at the end of august...
Me, august 30th...

Me, now...

Alliances help you progress, even low tier silver ones.
And, btw, we have 2 places free in our alliance. (75k + rating)