gards
I've moved your post to another thread because you are talking more about the "pay to win" aspect of the game, than the ranking system. So, it's time to whip out the usual responds:
Gwent is a
Free To Play Online Collectible Card Game (F2P CCG). As with (almost) every collectible card game, online or otherwise, one of the goals is to collect cards. You do this by buying booster packs. The F2P element is that you can get these booster packs when spending time instead of money. The fact that you can buy boosters and as such buy an advantage means the game is pay to win (P2W) in the strictest sense. However, it's important to note that this applies to the whole F2P CCG genre. So, it's pointless to argue whether or not Gwent is P2W. Instead, you should compare the game with other CCG and ask how generous Gwent is.
The conclusion is that Gwent is one of the most generous F2P CCG.
As for gaining cards,
a new account can almost instantly create a competitive (Tier 1) deck for FREE.
There are only three simple things you need to do:
1. Get level 3 to unlock milling (which is easy) and mill all unused cards.
2. Beat the challenges to get the leaders (still easy).
3. Copy a netdeck from the internet (also easy).
I wouldn't recommend the above, but it's possible nonetheless.