I have no problem with a “progression system” like that.
Relic had a decent one in Dawn of War II’s multiplayer circa Retribution, where completing matches gave you XP which would level you up and give you extra cosmetics on your units. You can have a “progression system” without it being predatory or grindy. The whole thing about progression systems is just that nobody has ever bothered to properly implement one in an RTS game.
