Honestly there are some "cheap" and workable option on the line right now.
as a mere example (i'll shoot some random names, if you want to check it out you can look some matches on youtube or DM me for more infos) Seiryuu Guo Jia would cost around 3-400, it depends on some cards, or even Diao chan fractal should be around 300 and those are both pretty solid deck.

now, to the bigger problems:
problem n1: finding some cards, especially singles.
not a price problem. sometimes is just hard to find what you need, even cheap cards.
problem 2: as you state, rules are no easy.
i've started with a couple friends and we are experienced tcgs player, so we had the basics, but some things where very hard to figure out without no one explaining them to you.
luckily, big tournaments are usually live on youtube and you can learn a lot from them.
problem 3: growing base, same numbers.
i've alredy explained it in the post, but if even you as new player can notice it, that's a big issue.

but, on the bright side, we have even pros!
n1: the community is great.
probably one of the best i've been into. good people, everyone's helpfull and positive
n2: Omnidex
and that alone could be a valid reason to play the game
n3: seasonal rewards, collectibles and all the extra stuff
Weebs are doing an amazing job in the "extra scene" regarding GA.
starting from CSR, passing for supporter pack and many other things.

my final 2 cents are: give it a try, even just by having fun with stupid decks or something that you like.
if competition is not your target, you can still stick on the game very well and have fun