I've seen people with jewels that are equivalent in most slots. Trying to start VLLD without tons of fg to dump is completely hopeless.
Spending FG isn't the right way to get into VLLD. These guys are running a D2R botnet with 4+ PCs. 20+ accounts botting at the same time. Just transfer the product to your non-bot account.
It's their hobby... err... life goal. I can't understand why they call it a "tournament" when you're basically just comparing jewels. Like it is some skill-based competition. My jewel has 9 max, your jewel is 8-14. We don't even need to duel--you just win. Congrats.