This change is what I've been waiting for! Thanks @yabapmatt, I've put some money in this game over the 2 years that I'm playing and my collection value just decreased over time. Playing the game is the only way I stay break-even. It's still possible for the everyone to climb to a decent rank, you'll just have to keep hold of your cards in the beginning until you can get in a league that you feel happy with. Those cards that you hold are still "money in the bank" you can always sell them if you need to, or decide to quit the game.
For the players that want a shortcut there is still the renting market, yes you pay a bit but the ROI of the rewards that you'll get from a higher league/rank will make it profitable. Overall this makes sure that our cards keep holding value over the long term which is in everyone's best interest