The only obvious whale I faced I beat. And I'm 100% ftp. I I can't say fir sure he spent money though having revan is a good indicator.
But technically it is possible to hoard crystals and get revan ftp so even this isn't 100%. And after revan, I bet this becomes more common. I know I'm saving crystals for the next game changer that comes out. If I save enough and get them, I'll probably be called a whale by those that don't build good rosters. After all, I have chewie and 3PO the first time.
But it is 100% possible to compete ftp. I haven't spent a cent on this game and have won every ga match I've had.