Alright interesting, I do
Wonder what changes if that doesn't occur at all.
War of the Jülich Succession was described by one writer as a dress rehearsal for the 30YW, much the same as the Franco-Prussian War was seen as a dress-rehearsal for WWI. However, if this doesn't happen - either because Karl Friedrich is alive, or because the emperor is free to arbitrate in the matter - it could vary the result. If Karl Friedrich survives, the emperor IMHO could be interested in preventing him from going Protestant and/or aiding the Dutch rebels. If Johann Wilhelm dies without kids, and there's no fraternal intrigue, Ferdinand II might be able to arbitrate fairly (although he'd risk pissing the party he decides against off - Hohenzollern vs. Wittelsbach, and in some cases it might spread like a cancer to the rest of the house decided against) and preserve some semblance of imperial authority; the emperor might be able to seize the states for himself or his family (which was feared that Rudolf would do, OTL, which, as @Vitruvius pointed out, led to Brandenburg-Pfalz-Neuberg making a deal in the backroom). Here, if the emperor successfully seizes it and holds it (perhaps he's married to Sibylle of Cleves and he claims it in right of her or their kids), neither Brandenburg nor Pfalz-Neuberg is powerful enough to take on the emperor themselves (it gets more worrying if they get their whole families in on the deal, cause then half of Germany is up in arms on the deal.)