Once you progress in the game it becomes unplayable and will require you to pay to win. I reached platinum 2 quickly, that's when the game became unplayable, as you will get matched against players with units of 3-4 levels higher than you, even unit counters can't beat the level difference (was still able to reach diamond 1 but not before upgrading the units). Also, the game doesn't get updates... Other than that it's really fun.