There's dozens of modes that have been released, and a lot of them are free and do not require a collection to play. New and ftp players can play and compete in these modes to progress on the battle pass, which will earn you gold and packs to progress in the main game. You won't reach standard ranked top 1% as a completely new free player, but you can still maintain a place somewhere on the ladder, while the modes you CAN dominate as a new ftp, bolster your collection over time. Never too late!