I work my wizard's tail off to try to get any item off the PvP Ranked sets. And I think if your are subscribed at the LeveLs of Thrity- You should get the Veteran set and at Fifty- You should get the commander set so that way your rank is completley fair and you earn it because you prooved you were able to get to thrity and fifty so you should get another well bonus, and on the goal of hitting lvl fifty you should get a awesome piece of you lvl crown gear or pet. :D
Pvp sets are rewards for doing pvp well. They should not be awarded for pve accomplishments. If it wasn't possible to get commander without a pvp set, there might be an argument for some sort of pve set to get you on your way. This just isn't the case. I see lots of warlords without pvp gear.
I frankly don't think the pvp gear is all that much better than the good pve gear. Sure it has high resists, but it has no health on it. It is not what is stopping you from achieving commander.
If you can't get to commander without pvp gear, you need to rethink your deck an play style. What do the people who beat you in duels do? They're not all treasure card users. Start by copying some successful pvp strategies and branch out from there.
:D 