However, Chuck bringing up the concept of "ringers" made me think further on the issue. Based on seeding, the worst possible mis-match that one can currently envision would be THOTA (1 seed) vs. BotFM (15 seed) in the finals. If both clans were to go on a hunt for ringers prior to the start of their matchup, I would think the 1 seed would have the most success. In this case, the strong only get stronger and the odds start to lean even more heavily in favor of the higher seed. If this is allowed, it kinda begs the question, why should clans ranked 9 and below even bother signing up for the Cup?
Chuuuuck wrote:It virtually limits their recruitment periods to a small time frame.
It doesn't limit their recruitment at all, just their recruitment specifically for the cup. And if you need to recruit mid-Cup just to be confident in a chance at winning, why bother signing up in the first place if you're not confident with your initial roster?
However, sometimes a player just does fall into your lap and I don't think the clan or the player should necessarily be punished just for circumstantial bad timing. I'm kind of at a loss. It's a funky issue.
But for what it's worth, should THOTA be inquiring about this on behalf of Pascalleke, I believe that Pasc should be allowed to play. He switched clans because he simply had more friends and regular teammates in THOTA than he did in FOED. Also, FOED is still active in the competition, so if had he not switched, he would still be active in this tournament.