You were trying to downplay online (tournaments) and you were trying to do it using Rico.
Rico doesn't put stock in online tournaments, but that is him and is his prerogative. CDjr stopped competing online too (0-2 at the KI Cup). So did PaulB (2-2 at the KI Cup). But Rebelo still does, so does Sleep, and so too does Bass from time to time...not to mention the majority of the rest who were in the Top 32. Bottom line is that the more quality tournament experience you have, the better off you are. If your PERSONAL preference is to not play in online tourneys, only offline, that is fine, but online (granted the online is good) can be a great tool, and even supplant offline in many regards.
At the end of the day, Rico is just a REALLY good player who enjoys the game. He plays and trains online MORE THAN he does offline, but most recently (like the last year) he chooses to only compete at offline events. If we are going to use Rico as a gauge for whether or not skill can be tested online, the that fact that Rico trains how he does should tell you all you know.