HiipFirecant wait to see only ascent na at i63
I'm speaking independently and not as a representative of Ascent when I say this, so I could be wrong (I'd like to be wrong). Putting aside community, money/fundraising, passion/wanting to go, and tradition to the side, Ascent NA going to iSeries - let alone any non-mix NA or AUS team - doesn't seem like a priority either. Unless froyotech goes.
Looking at it from a competitive & marketing standpoint, the incentive of beating a b4nny roster that is a) long-term and b) not a mix team, is only but one of the factors other international teams consider when they decide if it's worth flying out to Europe. As much as I like what i61 SVIFT ft. b4nny or Se7en ft. Paddie symbolized from a community unification perspective for i61, as well as how absolutely fantastic the games looked and hearing about the people who came together to celebrate those games and this community last year - the i46 tradition of international, worldwide competition is at risk.
People ranging from players to viewers wanted to see NA's best team go to i61 to compete. They wanted to watch and participate in the best of NA vs best of EU storyline that has been marketed since i46 began it. Se7en, made up of most of i58 champions Crowns' roster and the best EU team at the time, almost didn't field a team for i61 after froyotech announced they weren't going, because one of the reasons they had was the incentive of beating their NA rivals was no longer present.
I understand where froyo is coming from; I don't agree with all of it. If b4nny wants to join an NA mix or an EU mix, that's cool for people interested in him or NA representation. If he changes his mind and is able to field froyotech, that's fantastic and beneficial to the tournament's overall interest. If another NA, AUS, or non-EU high level player or team wants to go, that still brings publicity. If not, then that's what it is. There will still be great games during i63 watched by many international viewers at home and at LAN - just not international competition, if that's the problem here.
If froyo skip i63, NA teams will just wait to fight b4nny on his home turf for Rewind III or another NA LAN, as b4nny wants, and EU teams who want to represent will have to cash out and go to froyotech, who will be waiting in the comfort of their own home because they know, like it or not, that they are valuable.