The game monetisation model was a lot better back in the days. Was fair, made you feel rewarded for playing, crafting cards, buying card chests, etc… working towards a desired skin. Right now it’s soulless and general + ofc a lot worse ainunlock rate (if we go towards what you want, it’s even worser). The reasons I spend money on this game (the first and only ftp game I spend money on, btw) - was exactly this, the fairness of the system and how I can unlock desired things even by only playing + without lootboxes + without hurting my eyes with “spend, spend, SPEND!”. All of it is missing right now and will forever most likely.
If you already have the blueprint, but unlock the skin via other ways (either ICE, chest, etc) - the blueprint stays and needs to be destroyed for essence manually.