What is the point of choosing your progression level on PVE?

So when I saw the next PVE event was the Simulator, I winced because, ugh, I hate the Simulator. It's so much harder and takes so much longer per node than the typical minion-laded PVEs. I'm just not a fan.
For the first time ever, I chose to actually compete DOWN a level in PVE because I was hoping that would make the event little easier. So I went with level 6 instead of my usual level 7 (also, I saw the 4* reward on level 7 was blue Riri, and I'm already choking on those. My Riri is 5/2/3, and I have two blues rotting on the vine, and within the last two weeks, I had to sell two others... to the point where I'm convinced they ONLY make blue Riri covers... side note: in the first Sinister Six story, BOTH my Homecoming tokens were blue Riki's).
Imagine my surprise when, as I played last night, the levels of my opponents were exactly the same as if I had chosen level 7. So what was the point of having chosen level 6? Is it JUST to get worse rewards? If so... who would ever choose that? Why even make that an option?
So now, as if I don't hate the Simulator enough, I'm doing it for worse rewards than I should be at the exact same difficulty (and, IIRC, I have to finish T50 instead of T100 to get Mockingbird, which isn't difficult, but I'm going away this weekend and was hoping to be able to slack off). Ugh.
For the first time ever, I chose to actually compete DOWN a level in PVE because I was hoping that would make the event little easier. So I went with level 6 instead of my usual level 7 (also, I saw the 4* reward on level 7 was blue Riri, and I'm already choking on those. My Riri is 5/2/3, and I have two blues rotting on the vine, and within the last two weeks, I had to sell two others... to the point where I'm convinced they ONLY make blue Riri covers... side note: in the first Sinister Six story, BOTH my Homecoming tokens were blue Riki's).
Imagine my surprise when, as I played last night, the levels of my opponents were exactly the same as if I had chosen level 7. So what was the point of having chosen level 6? Is it JUST to get worse rewards? If so... who would ever choose that? Why even make that an option?
So now, as if I don't hate the Simulator enough, I'm doing it for worse rewards than I should be at the exact same difficulty (and, IIRC, I have to finish T50 instead of T100 to get Mockingbird, which isn't difficult, but I'm going away this weekend and was hoping to be able to slack off). Ugh.
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Personally, I was almost always playing SCL 8, but I have dropped down to SCL 7 occaisionally in the theory that the competition for top placement will be lighter. I have no evidence to support this, just my own presumtion.
I'm so confused... it's super annoying trying to figure where I'm suppose to be playing.
Now you will see easier teams in SCL7. Shortly after I made that post, they implemented the SCL based scaling. No matter what your roster strength is, everyone in your SCL gets the same level enemies. SCL 9 is harder than SCL 7, and you get the better rewards for the higher difficulty. If SCL8 feels hard to you, or takes too much time/health packs, then stick with SCL7 until you build your roster some more.