ProudPokePlayer said:
Is it just me, or is it that a very few Europeans will enter the Worlds 2013. I know that the bigger communities such as GB will have no problem, but 400 points for a meagre community such as Sweden is pretty hefty IMO.
"Smaller" countries like Sweden may have to rely on Nationals for an invite. The flip side to this is that it's not like their Nats is really that big in terms of player participation. That said, I share your concern about it being difficult for them. Whether or not this is balanced out by there simply being a smaller player base or not is something I can't really say. I can see arguments on both sides.
Concerning the new point system for the US, while there may still be some problems, I think it's a far better improvement over last year when BRs were way over-emphisized. At least this year the best finish limit is only 6 for BRs, and that COMBINES Spring and Fall BRs together. And even then, you still won't reach the 1/4 mark for the 400 point threshold..
The bulk of your points will still come Cities, Regionals, and Nationals. Cities will have the greatest impact for the budget-tight players, as it has the potential to provide half of the required 400 points for you, and that's assuming that you're flawless with your matches.
But that still leaves you with the Regionals and Nationals hurdle. The bottom line is that you still have to do well in all the events you attend to hit the 400 point mark, and while BRs are still a factor, they're not over-emphisized like they were last year. You can afford skip a a BR or 2 if you do well at the other events.
The new system encourages travel, but not to the point of obsession. The point threshold protect players from the fear of being one spot short of an invite that they had under last year's system, a factor which stressed travel obsessively. Now, for once, there is a "safe number" to shoot for. If you're a good player, you already know where you need to go. If you're not a good player, you don't deserve a worlds invite to begin with. For all of these reasons, I rather like this new system. I think everyone is dismissing it far too quickly. The point threshold is a BIG change. Let it run its course before we all start rage-bashing it.