Probably not too many surprises when there is no qualified stage. Lower ranked players might develop a strong feel going into the elimination stage and cause more upsets.
Highly recommend QSB lessons to anyone that like to learn online. The tough part is probably language as all those former CNT players only teach in chinese.
Some cheap chinese rubbers are probably not bad either. Yinhe moon on the backhand, and maybe Jupiter Asia 3 or Arthur China forehand, maybe slightly boosted, should work fine too.
Tibhar MK is good for hitting and looping. Very soft rubber top, and not very hard sponge. The only problem the surface gets wet easily in humid condition.
Their teaching is great, but don't expect the product be unique. I could buy some just to support their free teaching. QSB's teaching is really the best among the whole online teaching channels.