ClosedPoly said:
Know your place in the scheme of things. This game is not for anyone who believes they can be #1 and never spend any money.
This is where you are wrong
This is but a matter of time until f2p can compete with whales. All the "whale" thing is just: I wanna go there faster! It's probably why I like the race-car analogy that someone has stated earlier pretty much. Because that's what it is.
Any f2p player will eventually get the most sought after champions, the most sought after gear, and whatever is decided by RNG. Spending money just gets you there faster, because you can open more shards, play more dungeons, and thus - by the sheer amount of more RNG rolls - get lucky earlier than someone who just has to wait for the loot and not buying it.
It can be frustrating at times, seeing other people win tournaments, just because they spend a few hundred bucks. But it is what it is.
Just collect what you get for progression and don't aim for the ranking rewards. It's basically just a: Who spends more money contest anyway