Academy teams are going to be a game changer.
Whilst it wasn't the only thing which made EG in 2023 great, it certainly had a big role in their improvement.
Being able to try out comps and strats on demand is a huge advantage imo. You can schedule scrims whenever it suits you and you'll have the comfort of knowing you'll never need to play against them in officials.
I think the quality of play is going to definitely go up for the teams who decide an academy team is a good investment.
With that being said there are some glaring issues with the idea, first of all not being able to play in ascension is a huge blow, imo you should allow it but ensure another org can get the team if they win ascension