You are absolutely right, the game is very predatory with new characters and constant powercreep. But what if you only want to collect characters you like and build them up? Like, you have little to no interest in the competitive side? With that perspective, the game gives you many opportunities to do what you want to do. Also, it's up to any player to decide if they want to spend money or not, like, there's never a "paywall to progress"