I've mentioned it before and I'll bring it up again. I think it will clarify the different views of the changes between players like me, and the super players like
@Shyama1. I mention him again because he posted an extensive analysis about what the changes did to him in the feedback thread. All of us who want to tell the super players to "just get over it" should go read his posts. The frustration of the super players is completely understandable. Inno pulled the rug out from under them. The limited recovery options (emphasis on limited) available require writing off a significant investment in cash and time. And they will never get back to where they were.
My city seems to close to the baseline Inno examined when defining the impact of the change on late game players. Early in 17 with Max expansions, 1.26M ranking. Last time I checked, my MiniMax CAL score was 8700ish. I have a Firebird, Mr. Brown Bear., Polar Bear, L26 needles, L26 MM, L12 Forge, L11 Toad, L18 Shrooms, L12 TimeWarp, L12 Simia, L11 FA, L11 Toad, L12 VS. So I have a huge number of upgrades to my martial AWs in front of me.
We all agree that my progress through 17 in isolation will make the tournament more difficult for me. But when I add in all of the martial AWs that will advance, it is at least a wash and will probably get easier for me. I like the new format in large part because I hated the old: it was mind-numbingly tedious for me to get 5K and a 200KP every week. It is much better for my FS. Getting to be a consistent gold spire FS placed a lot of stress on us. This upgrade eliminates any stress from the tournament.
This, I think, is the crux of the differing opinions on the change.
I think Inno can make some easy changes to reduce the pain for the super players - more AW levels that open up before the next guest race seem obvious.