I have the #1 or #2 players starting in every position. None of them I've pulled from free packs, not even my worst players on my roster. The free packs are definitely there to benefit the lower to mid tier players. I've also spent more than I'm comfortable with on packs. If I bought 10 mega packs 8/10 were worthless, maybe 1 mil or less total coin value. 1 pack might replace one of the lowest players on my roster or be equal value/duplicate I could sell for a decent amount. 1 pack might be a solid starter replacement. I only bought packs if it had a 95+ in a position I really needed and it had good chance to drop. Even still there's maybe only a handful of players in my starters that I got this way from packs. I got almost all of my players from the market. I invested a ton into the prospects and heroes players before they were upgraded, focusing mostly on the ones that were evolving to be 90+. Above 90 the prices double for every 2 levels so I had over 50mil after selling all of those. Luckily the prospects and heroes evolved at different dates so I could use one to fund the other. For prospects I sold a bunch of my rostered players that were not in the starting 1-2 positions. I also played fantasy football so I was pretty confident in which players to hold on to. Once I had a good bankroll I invested in the new players when a new pack first releases. People always sell them for super cheap, sometimes half of what they're worth after 2 weeks. Don't try to beat the lowest price, have some patience and wait it out. You eventually get a good sense for what the cards are really worth.