I would like to say that Warmongers comment mirrors my own thoughts exactly, and i would like to add just one thing to this.
The faster things evolve, the shorter the life span.
And i think a good solution wouldve been to not speed things up, but given us blood games or similar tournaments for lower brackets. That way it wouldnt be the same NEED for everyone to rush it to the top. We wouldve had equally fun and fierce competition on every step of the way.