[TC_Halogen]

both sides have issues to me:

D7 cumulative: players that aren't balanced get the shot to make up on harder files when they didn't deserve to get past earlier rounds; that is a huge problem to me because it screws over those people that were able to do better on songs that their competitors could not -- I do agree that a faster player should do well in later rounds because the files will definitely get speedier/require more stamina, but I don't think they should be crowned the winner by blasting the last round file and doing less than optimal in the earlier rounds. Plus side: all players get to compete within the constraints of the tournament and compare themselves to others within the competition; that is a huge deal.

D7 Elimination: players can fall in a round due a minor error since D6+ tends to be relatively cutthroat early on; with a division that likely won't exceed 30 people, this stinks for higher level players. The inherent advantage that cumulative scoring has is that a high level player unable to achieve perfection gets multiple chances to improve their score. However, that advantage shouldn't outweigh the effort it takes for other players to maximize their scores early on.

That's why I feel like a hybrid between the two really is the best solution.

EDIT: @ Anaru: because the winner of a tournament/sport needs to be able to excel at all periods, not just one. That's why I'm not making it cumulative fully -- a player that struggles early on should not be given a full-on opportunity to blow people away at the end; it doesn't work that way. In regards to the "gap" between 80-85 files, that same gap exists later on, and players that excel in speed have an advantage because most 90+ files require extreme speed, and that isn't fair to those who are able to excel early on because they possess skill in technical files too.

As it is: people being booted out early on was going to happen initially, since the original plan was to make D7 a full-on elimination tournament.