I know AL are in beta, and it's only been a couple of days, however from the few AL's i've played, along with (albeit anecdotal) feedback from friends it seems that the requirements for playing AL's is too low.
Most of the Advanced lobbies I've played so far have had people playing who clearly have no clue how to play the game, or are relatively inexperienced.
I suggest increasing the difficulty of entry by at least 10%, as they are right now i'm not 100% they are worth paying for, at least not more so than in a donation form like i've done with the normal site. I think having a higher barrier to entry will help with balancing issues as well, as a closer talent pool will grant closer games.
As it is right now it seems incredibly easy for anyone to join AL's and it seems like there are players out there who although not skilled enough to play, will try to play them anyways such as to be part of the 'cool kids' playing the new system.