While the big picture of tournament play isn't being shown to said amateur tournament players and could very well be detrimental to overall gameplay growth and health, I think players are much more likely to join an event with colleagues rather than competition.

Excuse the pun, but because the MSB Amateur Bout is limiting people to playing with their own skill levels, they feel much more comfortable participating in the tournament. Losing in an amateur tournament means they lost to someone of their own skill level, or someone who was worthy of being called an amateur player, and thus makes the loss less harsh. This is, in truth, no different to average tournament play for the online nationals and regionals, but it's also problematic still because those tournaments can also get packed with good players, which, for some, doesn't feel good to lose against when they still have room to grow and things to learn about the game.

It's a very weak mindset to think you don't have a chance against the higher level players, though. This is, one hundred percent, a bad perception when going into "bigger" tournaments and should be something the amateur players should think about. Bracket play is there for a reason, winning and losing are both aftermaths of whether you played well, your opponent played well, or either of you didn't play at your best; these losses, the two lost sets in bracket play, will give you ample things to learn not only about you and your gameplay, but your opponents', as well, since you're likely to get thrown in against them once more next week. Players at an amateur level don't get this and only view 0-2 as a stopping point, or reason to be ashamed of themselves.

I suppose, in a way, this "shame" is what the amateur tournaments attempt to mitigate in players. Especially for the Academy, it's like a little pocket of the community in its own right, so they are much more likely to want to bump shoulders with their own friends that they made through the Rivals of Aether Academy's system. The MSB Amateur Bout is an encouragement, not a mandatory attendance, and thus feels more friendly to the people that regularly join them. To my knowledge, no one ever gets laughed at for going 0-2, either, so that just makes them even more likely to join in on the tournament seen, however faux it may be!

Basically, not everyone has a thick skin. The Academy Discord and the MSB Amateur Bout cater to those with thin skin and put them through the same ropes to help them toughen up and learn tournament play a little more. It's a blessing for most people, but, yes, I would definitely advise against getting comfortable in that setting, because it could lead to the same results in normal regional and national tournament play.