Ok, so you want(ed) to have an Empire squad, I can definitely help with that.
I can recommend some good Empire squads, and the path to them. Empire squads are best with Palp, Vader, Thrawn, +2. You can use Empire and/or Sith under Palp and Vader Lead, so those are recommended.
Currently, I agree farming and getting your Phoenix to g8/9 would be good to get EP and Thrawn. You will get Vader to 6* in < 1 year with no effort due to achievements, but he is in the Fleet Store to speed up the grind to 7* (I only purchased his shards from the Fleet Store ~5 times and the rest came from achievements and Vader 7* after ~/<1 year.
I'd recommend zEP Lead, zzVader, Thrawn, Bastila Shan (Fallen), +1. If need-be you could use Shoretrooper for a Tank, or zIPD for a AOE dispel/target lock/buff immunity.
However, I would recommend getting a fast-farm 5th Empire unit to lead you to R2-D2 and in-turn CLS (Commander Luke Skywalker).
So, my recommendation is farm a Phoenix team to 7*, g8/9, lvl 80 (82 for Chopper) and max their uniques + Zeb's basic and complete Thrawn's and Palpatine's events. Then, farm your Empire team for arena with BSF and zIPD / Shoretrooper. Get 1 more Empire unit for R2, then farm the other Reqs. (Old Ben, ST Han, P Leia, FB Luke) for CLS. I do know that IPD needs an Imperial Trooper team (a very good team indeed) and is a TB character so if you can, side farming an Imperial Trooper team of Veers Lead, Piett, Starck, Death Trooper/Range Trooper/Snow Trooper/Shore Trooper (recommended Range, Shore for PvE and Snow, Death for PvP) to help your guild get IPD shards. However, this trip can leave you at a loss in ships, which for an f2p is an important source for crystal income. So, I recommend also side-farming Geo fleet members (Soldier, Spy, and Sun Fac) to help you. If you like my idea, I can make you a farming guide.