I think it's already bad, and going to get worse. I have an artifact already that will when I complete just the first two levels give -24% to enemy tower hitpoints. That makes them far easier to kill. But there are also things that can do similar to ME! So how do I know if I'm attacking someone with +15-45% health on their towers? or damage, or who's defending troops have 30% more hitpoints? How should I prepare for one vs another vs another? This game was founded and for years was played as everyone on an even level, and you could generally predict what kind of bonus's even with hidden library and museum technologys you might face. Now they are selling artifacts that can be unlocked for war that will swing at a minimum 50% worth of attacking, defending, or other statistics right out the gate.
That is not only pay to win, but pay to win randomly based on luck of the draw.