You don't need merits for be a Jr. Member. You need 10 merits for be a Member. I like this new rule.
The jump upwards from member is going to be hard for anyone who didn't start at their ranks. Theymos said there are only some 8k or so of smerit to go around each month once the current supply is used up.
This is very fortunate for all existing Full Members and above since they have been awarded free merit. Those of us below this rank at the time will have a hard time. I wonder how many Full Members will be able to attain the required merit for a genuine Senior Member rank up for example? With the limited supply of sMerit it will be difficult.