So with the FB closure looming I decided to start a smurf account, and jumpstart it with enough diamonds to get a few worker huts and the 5th and 6th attack point.

So either it was different when I started my main account way, way back, or I forgot. But - the dungeons are completely ridiculous for a new player. My account is 2 days old, my best monsters are all level 10, 1 epic (that mammoth that somehow found its way into my storage) and 2 rare (Freetle and La Croc, as I bought the level up offer). So. I have 4 dungeons right now.
1 food dungeon with tiny rewards, but I still can't complete it.
1 survival dungeon where my best monsters got killed in the very first battle.
1 gem dungeon where I can't get past the first battle either. (3 level 10 epics.)
1 food dungeon with normal rewards, where I actually managed to win the first few battles but get stuck less than half way through.

The other observation is that the monetary hurdle to get into the game is ridiculous. I can buy a starter pack with is essentially 9 bucks for 50 gems and 50k food (and a worthless rare monster, IIRC Trevor), and today I get similar, slightly better offer containing LaCroc (that I already have) and 450 gems for 22 bucks. The goal should certainly be to get as many new players as possible, or not? If I was a noob and bought either starter pack, I would feel cheated just after a few days when I realize how worthless the stuff was I got for 9 bucks. Why not create a good starter package that contains say 2 worker huts, 1 hatching slot, 150 gems and a decent epic monster (could be breedable, maybe Ledovech)? Right now all starter packs are worse than a normal discounted gem pack.

I would suggest that one of the @Community-Managers goes through the exercise of setting up a smurf themselves, and then strongly encourages the devs to do some rebalancing there.

You are supposed to be frustrated, that's the point. You're either free to play and progress extremely slow not being able to do much and quit after a month or so ( SP don't want you anyway), or you start cracking your wallet on the regular to advance at a decent rate and enjoy more of the game features. The chest shop is geared towards new/low accounts. Just spend gems and don't really care what you're getting because you don't have much yet. You just want a certain ability or trait or element and you buy a chest. (And you get used to gambling for everything)

Sad but true! I think the company that bought SP thinks the 8-12 year olds that join have rich parents who will give the kids $100 to throw at the game to shut the kids up! Now that I am Level 125, the "Level Up" offers are not all that great either! I wish they would give more incentives to loyal players!

I guess most of us disagree with SPs monetization scheme. However, ML must attract new players, regardless of the monetization. So it should be in SPs interest to give new players an attractive entry package and a smooth transition into the game, especially the ones that are willing to pay money. Make them feel that their money is well invested. So it's a horrible strategy to try to sell them deals that will alienate players later on.

It gets better with the dungeons.
Today 3 new dungeons. One with a good legion monster (don't have one, and Heimdal is the only easily breedable one in that book, if I had a metal habitat and could breed him), and one with 3x evil legions - yeah, right Vortux is breedable, if I had a Metalsaur, which I don't have because my level is still too low to build a metal habitat.
The third one is as usual - no restrictions, but my best monsters are too weak to win the first battle.