Why do you punish players for building a team?

Another key point about the difficulty, is its difficult when you do not have counter teams.

A progressive game mode like this is supposed to be hard, and get easier as you develop. It also teaches you about mechanics and how to counter them.

Development of both strength and width of roster are key. Yes it is meant to kick you butt at times and you will learn to get through it. Its important to learn the things its teaching you, one of them is patience.