Is this game p2w?

Hi, I’ve just started playing yesterday and I was wondering if this game was p2w?

I’ve seen a lot of buy options that can level up troops and even some premium troops locked behind a paywall and seem to give an advantage for those who pay

So is this doable free to play? Is the grind gonna be long before I really enjoy the game? I’m currently blocked on 1/2 of the levels because my troops suck :(