New Game Mode/Alternative to GAC

If you want to fix GAC, ditch datacrons and relic delta.  As ftp I have found me resources stretched extremely thin with the new eras model.  Any crystals I had for upgrading relics and farming datacrons has vanished.  I can't keep my crystal level up with all the new large packs for the new characters which seem to be the only way to excel in the new era.  While I'm at 14 million GP, I still struggle in GAC because I face whales exclusively.  I can lose the first two rounds and still face a guy in round three that has 50 active datacrons and all toons at a minimum of r5.  It is just impossible to keep up.