User blog comment:B214/Volume 23 discussion blog/@comment-2804:D41:4AD3:D900:98F0:5596:5F09:ADDE-20170723034405/@comment-10330822-20170726053803

Yeah, basically, constantly winning and getting good reviews is the safest way to get to the finals. But you need to face challenging opponents if you are going to score more points. For example, Issei probably would get more points fighting and defeating Typhon than fighting Sona, even if Sona has only lost once before he fought her.

Of course, this also means that the more matches Issei wins, the more challenging his fights will need to be. Since you will constantly facing teams with more and more points. You have teams with people like Typhon, Surtr, Indra, and Sun Wukong, these matches have a high likelihood to still get really crazy, even in the prelims.

Overall, you just need to get in the Top 16, so your luck on who you are fighting will also determine that. As long as Issei's team is in the Top 16, it doesn't really matter how many fights he loses.

I suspect he'll beat Typhon, its just a guess, and that win will probably cement his teams grouping in the Top 16. I can't see the prelims going on for much longer, they are going to need to hurry these up if we are going to wrap up the tournament and the final threat before Volume 29-30.