It is not necessary to spend real money in this game to be successful, you can earn decent cards just by playing games in 'Quick Game' mode and completing in-game Achievements. You will earn VC if you are logged in during 'Quick Game' mode but even if not, you will still earn cards (2 for every win and 1 for every loss). Like most card-based mobile games you can get more cards by going to the in-game shop and purchasing packs of cards using real money buy you will discover that the packs you buy with Credits earned playing the game tend to be much better. To access the in-game shop tap on 'Get Cards' in the 'Main' menu.