The buy wall was early setted by levelling summoners cost. But the market crash made them more affordable and bots let player ranking "easy".
Now they rushed this for set a new wall, bots are needed for many reason (they brings $, and filling queque time), there's not a real intenction to stop the bots running at all! They are trying to have them stuck in low lvl ranks.
We can all agree is not healty for game have low rank decks hit top of leaderboard but at same time the low rank decks have to deal with bots while high lvl decks gonna suffer queque time.
As i see the new system pay less (in rewards) player in low rank and have untouched high lvl decks, and at time give more opportunity to bots to rule leaderboards with just 10-20$ (spellbook + cards required for bronze3/silver3). Actualy an empty deck can make 5dec/win and a gold have 20dec/win i see a point sell all cards and have 20 novice bot over 1 gold account. As i see point have a gold deck play in silver and try to beat bots in leaderboard run.
It's hard setup a bot but no dubt they will flood all low-mid ranks and kick out players. it's simple math if i have 100 bot running togheter setted for push one of them prob to meet a normal player who can beat him is low and at same time gaining decs/rewards 100x can push them to next rank in few season. Just scroll on discord bot owern are happy, high investor are happy. Others are crying and packing out (market lose 50%).
I enjoy this game, one of best of this kind, but at same time dont find it worth to be addicted to play 1-2h every day anymore for 0,03$ dec over 100$+ invested. Sure you can have a lucky reward but there's no mention in drop rate change and when you open 150 chest for 2$ is pretty sure you dont have to hope to have 20 with 3.
Anyway if you planing to stop bot abuse the way is simply. HIDE ENEMY NAME/ID dont let bot know the formation sended and who they are facing till match resolved.