Icecrown vs Lordaeron

Hello all, So I started playing about a week ago on Lordaeron and then discovered the buffed bosses/gimped gold etc etc. and got turned off on the server..

I then purchased 10 coins to skip que times and hoped on Icecrown thinking it would better fit me. However, once I entered Org and saw that basically every single plate dps had shadowmourne in hand with arena ratings at 1400 I got quickly turned off again by the pay to win.

I know all the xp rates/skill rates/gold rates etc. on each server and I'm looking for a server where I can enjoy PvP over PvE..

I came to this server missing something modern mmos lack.. Time Investment > Skill. I get so sick of each new mmo trying to "balance" everyone and making someone with 500 hours in on the same level as someone with 10 minutes in.

To clarify.. I am NOT looking for a gankfest and two shotting everyone.. but I dont mind that either.. I just want to level up.. do some low level bgs with an awesome weapon that drops from a dungeon.. get to 80 and try to dominate the pvp crowd.

While lordaeron looks better on the front end of that.. I have heard that it is not a great server for pvp at all (long ques, no one does it.)

and while Icecrown may be better towards my end goal.. am I going to be competitive if I dont shell out 200+ dollars for Shadowmourne?

Someone please help.

Icecrown definitely has a much more active and polarizing PvP scene. Battlegrounds are usually one-sided, with BiS players slaughtering peasants in a shower of purple particles. You can however get some decent gear by getting to 2k rate and getting your Wrathful bling if you have at least 2 functioning hands and some patience. You will never reach the same power level as the people spending coins unless you either acquire coins yourself or start raiding ICC heroic. I can't really comment on the overall state of Lordaeron's PvP, as I'm not a regular there, but you can be sure it's going to be much less active than Icecrown just by the virtue of having less people and being more PvE focused.

just to clarify something. EVERYTHING on icecrown is farmable and is rather easy to actually obtain, except for halion 25h items as its visually bugged and people cba with the headache it may give. oh, and shadowmourne(not difficult, just takes some time and good rng with shards).
tbh, you dont even need all the fanciest items to be competitive, really.. just learn to play the class you choose and everything else will sort itself out.

The only way you will be 'competitive' in bg's at 80 is simple, fos pos farm EOT emblems full furious, voa10/25 for relentless / wrathful drops, wintergrasp for easy honor to cut the grind for offset wrath from honor, only then you'll be 'competitive' no amount of skill matters when your 14k hp vs 30-40k hp enemy players with pockethealers etc.
as for p2w the server is live for what like 2 years now? If it was retail it would be the same thing, even legion que up a bg after just dinging 110 u'll get smacked like a *****.
If you want that feeling of 'progressing' your toon ect wrath, cata, and mop ain't for you, the only expac's that offer that feel is Vanilla and TBC.
Also on the smourn thing, compare the dmg output of a full bis arms warr with oath vs smourn it really isn't that special sure its a little better but overall full bis with oathbinder will rape you just as hard, Don't wanna get rekt? Run 2 pockethealers just like they do.