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Sorry but I don't think player cards is in anyway a valid argument for inviting four players. The "favorites" could easily have had player cards made pre-qualifiers in order to advertise.
I also think you're HUGELY overstating their importance by claiming to structure the tournament around them.
Your second point of making the qualifiers more competitive is also pretty weak. Yes, the early games with the invited four would have been walk overs. Would you claim the early games for Sib/Hans/KA were any less so?
The games you reference as unforgettable are from later stages of the qualifiers due to seeding, they would have all more then likely still been played or similar highly competitive games would have been played in their place.