so if someone comes in at 6.9k or 7.6k prior to icons then what are the penalties for breaking this rule? the infraction would only really become evident after the fight so does the offender get a slap on the wrists and a rematch or disqualification?
As with everything nothing can be written in stone so it will likely depend on the situation. If it results in a loss I'd say no big deal but issue a warning. If it results in a win but a lost series same deal. If a warning is issued then a second offense should be a DQ but those are just my opinions. If it results in a win and a series win then likely a rematch for the first offense and a DQ for a second but I'm going to step aside and let the review committee decide.
The real question is how difficult is it to maintain alt prior to the merge and why is it everyone has to push the rules to the edge? The tournament hasn't even started yet and I can already tell how it's going to go. Let's just play and have fun. It's really not that hard.
If you really want to push the limits then go ahead and take your chances with the review committee. I've had to temper some pretty harsh judgements in the past and may not be inclined to do so this time around.