I haven't played the game in a really long time (I'm also waiting to check the expansion) but I wanna say that this is a great thread to have in the forums, its food for thought for both players and devs alike .

I for my part believe that gameplay mechanics is the most important thing about any game (for example I've been playing the same fighting game that is 2 decades old every day and it still doesn't get boring at all) even if such gameplay was unbalanced and unpredictable it would still be fun which makes people stick around in the long run.

As for AL to me it feels that it has become primarily a dressing game, just different vanities with each event, never touching skills or making enemies that require strategy instead of raw damage to overcome.