Your title question seems different from what you talk about in your post, but you can play this game with any amount of time or money. Time and money just makes things go faster. As for your post, you will get better at war by practicing. Never opt out. Ever. If you are in a clan that doesn't let you war when one or both heroes are down then find one that will let you play. Sitting around doing nothing because one or both heroes are sleeping is a terrible way to get better at the game. You can war without heroes. More than half the war attacks I have done were with no heroes. The end result is both that I have a better understand of what troops are capable of without heroes to help them and I have much higher level heroes when I do get to use them (I spent the last few months of TH9 playing with 2 level 30 heroes because I had focused on their upgrading so much earlier). Now I am at TH10 and doing my best to keep them both asleep as much as possible (though they are expensive enough now and I play less so usually one is awake). It won't be long until both heroes are 40 (for you as well if you only have 23 levels left) so focus your attention on keeping them both asleep as much as possible and just war without them. Your skills will improve especially if you make yourself war without the crutch of heroes.
