I'm sorry, but anyone who says AIQ has no depth and is one dimensional simply does not understand the rules. This guy is obviously unhappy with his game and posts negative comments about it all the time saying it is poorly designed, unfairly difficult, and now shallow. I get it, we all have our opinions, but he keeps slamming the game and posting this stuff as fact when pretty much everyone that has actually played the game would say the opposite. I honestly think the dude needs to sell the game and buy something that he will enjoy. It's obviously not for him, and that's ok. Not every game is going to please everyone.
AIQ is very deep, has TONS of strategy, and has multiple paths to play. You could literally ignore the gem quests and still have a ton to do between the multiballs, grid rewards, and the three deep progression of collecting the Avengers for Soul Gem, Black Order, and Battle Royale. The gem quests add so many layers. You can choose to ignore the placement and use strategy and still have fun with them as they are such varied and unique modes in themselves. Or you can take the strategy as deep as you want it. I thought I had a decent handle on the basics of the game, but first today watched Karl DeAngelo's 2 flip Soul Gem and had my mind blown. I knew there were some differences in the gem powers based on where they were placed and the level of the Avengers, but man...I had no idea it could be THAT strategic. Then there are so many minor side things like shield bonus, combo bonus, arc reactor bonus, Captain Marvel awards, Hawkeye Challenges (and combos), Gamma Ray, Hulk Rampage, etc. Sure, there are longer games with even more breadth of things to do, but there is no shortage here, and the depth of what is here is huge.