I have a massive aversion to mobile games and microtransactions as a whole for that very reason. I make a decent living, by no means wealthy, but I had disposable income when I was younger. And the same sort of cycle happened across multiple games. From a city/war game back when ipod touches were the brand new thing. If money wasn't spent, you were going to lose everything. Had to keep paying to remain competitive.

Finally quit that one, and for a while I was good. But then came Heroes Charge, got in early and I was one of the top 10 on the server. But, to remain there, had to keep spending any time a new unit came out. Sometimes luck was on your side, other times it wasnt. But that game was perhaps my most expensive game overall.

Close second would have been FFBE, which was great. Plenty of units to play with, but the that itch came, that desire to try and be better, to get those new units when they came out because they were the new meta or OP.

It's an extremely predatory system, and it's not liable to ever change, unfortunately. So, I just adamantly refuse to play most mobile games anymore, just to avoid the temptation or even risk planting that seed.

I feel your pain, because I've spent 500-700 before to try and get units and strike out on getting the newest. Multiple different times.