The logic flaw inherent in your premise is the persistent use of the words, "had to."
If you want to make a team relevant, you'll need to work hard at getting whatever character is released that you need. This much is universally agreed upon. But unless the team you want to build is CLS, BB-8, Thrawn, Finn, and some random 5th, you didn't need to farm all of those. You really didn't. What you needed to do, is set goals and meet them.
Focus your energy on one area. As soon as Thrawn was announced, I knew I wanted him. I couldn't achieve 7*s when he released, though, so I've been working on Phoenix ever since. Mine are all 7*, gear 9/10. I prioritized them over everything else. It very nearly cost me commander Luke, but I needed to finish my Hera before switching cantina energy to finishing my old Ben. And while it might seem easy for me to say, given that I've unlocked commander Luke, the fact is I was ready to miss Luke. Because Thrawn could have happened next. And I wouldn't have been ready.
I barely unlocked BB-8, this time. I will not be getting 6*s, let alone 7. And even though resistance is something I'm working on, that's ok. I'll get first order farmed up, and I'll be ready when he returns.
The point is, planning is what will get you through. Plan for what you want, and don't get distracted by new things that you don't need.
