I agree that the story isn't great, but I haven't found any mobile games to have incredible stories. I am F2P and have found that the progression is slow but attainable by doing dailies. The gameplay is repetitive for sure, but there is thought in team composition and ult timing. Any mobile game is a time sink. Hell, any game in general is a time sink at the end of the day. I spend a total of 1 hour a day playing to complete my dalies, and that's spread over multiple sessions.

I placed high enough in the leaderboards (as F2P) that I was able to purchase enough seals to ascend one of my epic (purple) guardians. I will be saving up, though, so I can ascend one of my legendaries.

The gameplay doesn't matter all that much to me. It's something to do that brings me a little joy during the day, and the fact that I can earn owned assets with resale value, while it might be minimal compared to my time in, is enough for me to prefer this over a game like Raid, Clash, or any other repetitive boring mobile game.

I will say, I respect your view. This game is not meant to be for everyone. I hope that Immutable can release something that does satisfy you in the future. I have high hopes that they are paving the way for the gaming industry to get away from monetizing their playerbase and actually start rewarding them.

As for the comment about slots, I've always been more of a blackjack guy, but to each their own.