The current format, where you play people who have an equal skill quality, is pretty fair imo

Just some people manipulate it, which is always going to happen.

I think anyone will admit, that someone buying 10x scouts just after the cup draw, to increase their average quality by around +20, is a pretty extreme/excessive form of manipulation. It's not something which normal/sane people would do.

Gutted that you happened to draw them in an early round of the cup.