I don't buy tokens, but I have received a lot of tokens and stuff through the free deals when I've seen ones I like. I did however have the highest quality team by far in my CL and lost in the finals, so it's very much a similar feeling (except probably worse since I put in effort/time instead of just throwing money at it). That loss in the finals was in penalties too, which is always the worst way to lose. The main problem I had was that my players have had poor form recently, and they under-performed, while my opponent's team all had 7-9 ratings.
Still, I achieved my season goal: won league, and built up my team to where I should be more than ready for next season.
On a side note: I don't resent token buyers. I hope I don't end up facing any soon, but their money keeps this game going.