Upgrades and ranks

So this morning I've been pondering the upgrade system, especially after @Splash_damage (it won't link properly for whatever reason) mentioned that the upgrades unlock with ranks and that this puts a new player at a disadvantage.

One of many issues with Overwatch is that every character is the same as every other version of that character, i.e. every WIdowmaker has the exact same kit and stats as every other Widowmaker. In Paladins you get 15 points in cards and must use 5 different cards in your build, and a max of 5 in one card, so you can't max out all of them and have to build around a playstyle. You can also save several loadouts so you can tune your build for the match to the composition of both teams. An important note here is that once a match starts in Paladins you cannot change character or build, but you do have an ingame store to buy buffs for the match, you also choose one legendary (old name) card to use for the match that alters something about your character in a powerful way. This gives you a ton of options between the 3 things and with some issues like cauterize is super powerful when you rank it up in the store, it's a good system.

I like the idea of the upgrades here, that they all have different weights (costs), so that you can't stack up a ton of super good abilities. Unlocking them is fun too but one thing that stands out, is that almost all the super powerful ones are at top ranks, giving long term players a big advantage over new ones. The starting upgrades are mostly passable and nothing amazing, and most new people are going to grab level up for obvious reasons, but when you max a character, you won't need to use it and have not only all the upgrades, but those 3 slots in your build as well. Now, a new player doesn't have to take level up, but it stands to reason you would.

With the current system, veteran players have a large advantage over new ones, especially at max rank. And again Splash and I are in agreement that this can cause serious issues when new players get stomped by long term players, maybe for skill disparity, but it can also be simply that the veteran has so many powerful abilities they can choose from in their build. I admit that without completely redoing the upgrade system or shuffling it around, I'm not sure how to address this, but it could drive new players away. No one likes getting pub stomped and being the pub stomper isn't much better.