I've heard that this has been done before in the US, though - for States last season and more. This is just new to Norway - we have always just set the size of the top cut to whatever standard DCI tournament rules / POP tournaments rules tell us, or whatever DCI Reporter / TOM says is the right thing to do. Going away from the standard in a special pre-set top cut size that doesn't take high attendance into account is something new for me.
This is exactly the frustration here, the fact that there has been absolutely no reason or explanation of any kind as to why all of the sudden POP has made the decison to not follow the guidelines (i.e. per the Tournament Software that they have TO's use) to determine who many people should be in a Top cut based upon the number of people participating in the event.
It is sort of like what do you think would happen if all the sudden in the middle of a baseball season Major League baseball told the players that starting with next weeks games, a batter will be called out after the 2nd strike against him. The players would be all upset, and say "Hey why are you doing this, baseball has always had 3 strikes before you are out!" Would the players accept it if they were not given any explanation or reason for the change but instead informed that once the playoffs start, players will once again be given 3 strikes before they are out, and when the World Series is ready to begin they will then inform the players what the Strike out rule will be used for The Championship games.
It is by far not a perfect example but it is sort of similar. Players for years in Pokemon have been conditioned to expect that all X-1's at an event will make the top cut, and sometimes one or two less deserving X-2's will luck into the finals. And to have this expected structure to the game all of the sudden ripped away for them without any explanation as to why has cause some of us to take a step back and say "Whoa.. wait a second, this is not right.. this not the way it has been done in the past ... why is this happening" And to be have stone silence be the response as to why the change has been made to the "Tradition" of Pokemon is very frustrating and disappointing for some of us.
What if the NFL decided that starting on Sunday a team would no longer get a 1st down every 10 yards, but now needed 15 for a 1st down. What if a Coach complained "Hey that is not fair to change this now, our playbook was designed for 10 yard 1st downs in mind. Why are you doing this?" And then what if some of the other Coaches laughed at him and said "It's you own fault Coach for not coming up with better plays that got more yards before now! Deal with it." That is how I feel when I see people who say "You X-1's and you missed the top cut.. its your own fault for not being perfect in your record. Deal with it" are saying.
Now I have never myself gone x-1 and missed a cut, every time so far, in the few that occasions that I have been fortunant enough to have such a lofty record, I have made the Top Cut. But I have seen it happen to other people go x-1 or x-2 in larger events and not make the playoffs, and it bothers me whenever that happens. I top cut at Washington States last year in the 8th spot. The 9th place person had the same record as me (4-2) and the same exact 1st tiebreaker. I beat him out by 4 out of 100 percentage points on the 2nd tiebreaker.
Was it fair for me to move on and for his day to be over, no of course it was not. IF it was the previous year in 2006 and he had that very same record he would have been in the finals, and he very well could have won the event. But in 2007 he was excluded form the top cut. I just want to know why players like him who do extremely in an event are now being excluded form their deserved chance at winning the Championship?
Any explanation, even one in which I may not agree with would be better then not knowing at all why the change has been made. At least then we would have some closure on this issue.