There has always been some criticism of inviting players to events rather than having them qualify. Of course this makes it harder for newcomers to get into major tournaments - I find that sad as well.
However, it is crazy how good the invited players often/usually perform. RBW4 is a great example: of the 8 invitees, 7 made it to the play offs. Only ONE of the 8 qualified players got into the quarter finals.
I'm not saying this to downplay the performance of any of the qualified players or to claim that qualifiers are unnecessary. If anything, RBW shows a great way of combining qualifiers and invitations. But despite that, I feel that it also indicates that the invitations are not entirely undeserved.
However, it is crazy how good the invited players often/usually perform. RBW4 is a great example: of the 8 invitees, 7 made it to the play offs. Only ONE of the 8 qualified players got into the quarter finals.
I'm not saying this to downplay the performance of any of the qualified players or to claim that qualifiers are unnecessary. If anything, RBW shows a great way of combining qualifiers and invitations. But despite that, I feel that it also indicates that the invitations are not entirely undeserved.