While there are opinions that tie to the discussion well and even facts to bring forth such as Europe being one of the better regions in innovation, BigBellBrute pretty much sums up where your qualms are regarding interest towards regional competition. I feel like part of your statement has also discredited Flyquest completely for their zany and off the wall picks, which progressively fell off along with their top status standings.
You mention the Roccat game particularly and how Betsy locked in an AP Nasus (I swear I just wanna say Susan). However, do you recall or know the style of play that has worked for him in general throughout their upswing? He had both of his reliable picks banned and since it was a game 1, it was like taking a chance. Saying it was goofy or fun is kind of an understatement because it's Betsy: one of the only players who actually brings Swain to mid lane. There usually a difference between playing a pocket pick for a purpose and just playing something for sheer entertainment, potentially by VIT Djoko with his Shaco picks.
Given the close packed competition that NA had the entire split, it's plain obvious why teams aside from FlyQuest actually attempted to throw a bit of spice in their play. The top teams had to frequently prove themselves of global respect while the middle and bottom teams had to climb out of some deep holes in time for playoffs. And by the final day of the split, there were still 8 placements in the standings yet to even be decided! You didn't get that tight of a story with EU this time around. You had far more teams settled into their placements and the degree of seriousness to casualness was still evident. Roccat vs G2 is a pretty bad example to use to make your point. And to an extent, so is H2K vs Splyce.
