My manipulation was entirely to put me on an even playing field against teams 1-2 levels higher than me. Even if they load up on 5 star players (6 and 7s to me), I'd be able to at least compete on even terms. But when a player 3 levels higher spends 500 tokens on scouts, that's almost as bad as the old system.
If i won, at least it would be on fair terms, removing the advantage they have by being 2 levels higher. 75q vs 70q or 72q by no means assures me an easy title. It just means they can't go buy players off the market to get an immediate 5 point advantage. (well, the guys 3 levels higher still could ...)
League is boring ... I've only not won the league twice (when not deliberately tanking) ... and I won CL 3 seasons running .. I just wanted a legitimate shot at the cup for a change.