Here is a similar thread with a similar concern to yours.
I am now just shy of 2 years playing, not quite f2p (I was for the first year). I have 10 maxed 5*, two more on the way. I have exactly 3 5* that are not Season 1. I play competitively and like to win but I will never be at the top. I occasionally break into the top 1000.
I have no intention of ever being p2w, or p2p even. I am refusing to buy the valor pass because that is approximately half of my total expenditure in the game, and at six per year is too rich for me. I will progress at my own pace and compete at the level I am at. I’m sure SGG would love for me to spend more but it’s just not happening. When (not if) I hit that wall where I am no longer progressing and enjoying the challenge, I will stop playing.
You have to decide for yourself what you want out of the game, no one else can do that for you. If you do not get what you want out of it then you need to consider not playing it.