I asked Grey about this and we both agreed on if a player is qualified for the final, they are not allowed to play in any future qualifiers. This gives other players that aren't qualified a chance to also get an invite.
I love hunting in a dead channel so I'm not bothered by noobs. Gawd you should see how many times they would ask me "How to enter MT.Ember?" while I'm hunting. I don't payday, that will only slow me down.