2nd Crusade

I just noticed that the first group is the grand final. Can you tell me if this tournament isn't starting from scratch, and are all players participating? And do those in the first group initially have an advantage over the others?

That's correct. In the grand final, the players who took 1st and 2nd place in their group in the previous stage (Spring 2014) compete. There will be a new grand final in winter. Essentially, the players in the 1st group are competing for the main victory in the tournament.