This thread is... I was going to say funny but I wont.
Because, I had the same feeling when I heard about the $50 = Angel set.
I started playing again after a year or so maybe a month ago with a new account, I've spent about $35 already. Apparently spending $35 on a game that's free to play in under a month is not enough to get back any sort of reward, but $50 or having a level 66 is.
Now low level PVP is even more difficult because there are 21-30's in Angel sets that dominate every fight.

I'm not really "complaining" as such, I'm just stating why I feel your pain in this.
There's always going to be this kind of thing, I just wish things like the Angel Sets didn't disadvantage other players so much who haven't spent the required amount of money.