Why is the skill difference between gold and silver players so big?

I just got to gold with Luke in less than a week and all of the sudden, I am struggling to beat other gold players. It's very strange because people play very differently at gold and I know some intermediate combos but even then it's hard to open up gold players. They literally just counter everything I do. Usually, I try waiting for the right time but I always get pressured. I was able to do that to silver players though.