I had never used the "Invite To Play" button on someone's profile page. I saw a bud on but in busy status, and thought I'd try the button as a nudge.
Then I learned how it works. It opened the game in create multi game mode. I changed my mind and set up a game with a couple of different players in mind. Little did I know that that was a mistake. The game window automatically sent the original invitee a request, which he declined. NP I thought, and invited the others. Only one accepted, a TM.
We decided to play. The game put him at the tips. It probably had something to do with the original invitee being at Champ tier.
So that's my lesson for the day. If ever I use the nudge again, and it doesn't work out, make sure to restart the gameclient window.