All these ideas were introduced after the tournament had already started, so I'm just pointing out possible "inconsistencies" that may arise later...
Still, I think the tournament is prestigious because it is held only once a year, so what's the point of trying to play for mercury and end up at the bottom of the table with a bunch of grails? Moreover, no one knows what deadline the judge will announce for counting mercury after the tournament ends. You could easily miss out on a lot of mercury and not get to Paris :)