Mate, that sounds awfully like "If you don't like it here, go somewhere else". There is so much wrong with this.
Players WANT to play the game and I daresay they WANT to play events. As stated before, they are forced to sit on the sideline for something they would love to do because the new format is giving them more stress than warranted.
And I give you one more thing to think about: Senior Players and Inno clearly expect people to play events. Want to do well in tournaments? Oh well, better have a Fire Phoenix and those nifty time boosters because otherwise, forget it. Want to go through a guest race without heartbreak? Use those great portal profits. Out of supplies or gold? Oh, just go ahead and use those instants. Running out of space, culture and population? Good thing we have these great pop/culture buildings.
Where do we get these things from: I let you guess three times.
Do you think you would have done so well in this event without the goodies from the last one? Do you see where this is going?
The current main argument - forced vs. optional.
I don't even have to highlight your word choice, you capped it yourself. "WANT".
Sprinkle in an "expect" and a "better have".
And for what goals? To play events. "do well" in tournaments. Avoid heartbreak. To move faster, to get more/better resources.
None of this is necessary. Game progress can be made without any and all of the above.
As for the stress, I'm not sure of how to address this in a text form without the possibility of it sounding impolite. Different people have different perceptions and different tolerances. Different sources of pleasure from games. Different personal goals and expectations. I understand that. I accept that. I'm only dissecting the game mechanics that effect people universally, and trying to separate the personal and subjective rules and limitations from the fixed and objective game structures.
Lastly, the introspective questions. Would I have done so well? No. But, do I need to do so well? Again, no. And that's "need", as in I would be stuck without hope of advancement in game progress without.
Would it be slower to progress without; yes. Would there be points where I am bottlenecked longer, waiting to gather enough kp for research, or gather enough resources for upgrades, or have enough pop or culture, or have enough space; yes.
I felt the oppression of space early on, and "overscouted" because the game allowed me, and I wanted the benefit of more space.
In one past event, I stocked up on the largest Daily to use as Crafting fuel, in another on Phoenix Cults, for improved pop/culture, and in another on Mana Huts for, well, Mana.
I have a huge stockpile of instants from past events, mainly because my lizard brain appears to value having them over using them, such that I either forget I can use them, or think I should hold them for some later, more important use.
But I also understand that all the above are luxuries; I could play the game without them. It would be slower, but it would not be impossible.
As always, don't tase me, bros.