Update: Cash is STILL king to an extreme level. Strategy is something, but the most brilliant strategist could play CME and if they spent little or no money, they'd be overwhelmingly outclassed by people who spend $5,000-$25,000 (YES, REAL DOLLARS!), and subsequently they won't be able to win any events, making it even harder to catch up. And, just to be clear, most of the top 10 on any server have spent thousands of dollars, some as much as $30,000! BEWARE.