Well ... this ended up being a little quicker than I thought.
Thanks for the tips about nerfing my team for champions (tanked my 1-ticket score from 150k to 30k). That saved many days, obviously.
I also got my stats higher a lot faster than expected (even after I noticed I picked the wrong-statted redhead for alpha): either I grind very hard, or (more likely) there are still many dead accounts around me, just waiting to be sniped. Got 15 more easy wins in tower and the rest in season.
I also decided to unlock the second path (kb mostly from bonus codes). +1 more girl, and I think the other rewards are a nice kickstart for such a newish player.
I see myself finishing the 80 villains task, and then stop. That many pvp wins is so far out of reach for now, it doesn't even bother me.