speaking as a player in the LCQ who received a bye round 1, then lost round 2, I had alot of fun in my 1 round. Every year I go to the grinder, and every year I fail to achieve the prize. I knew the risks of the SE tournament, and ultimately was eliminated.
My opinion is that the SE aspect of the grinder is one of the best moves that P!P/Nintendo has made. Reasons include less turn-around time the farther the tournament goes, more rested judges for Worlds day 1, less time organizing the tables for worlds day 1, among other things.
As a player, I applaud the decision to make this a SE event.
The only downside of this is that it lessens the chance to play a foreign player in the LCQ, but thats why we have open gaming/8 mans.