Remember that she is a sidekick, not just a pawn. You sure you want to auto-include her vs. some of the other models out there?
Misaki has a magical weapon, which is amazing vs. dodging opponents and she has leap. Wait until an upgrade with multitasker comes around and suddenly she becomes off to the races.
Bete can run and hide, completely avoiding attacks to stay alive, and she has an auto-kill ability as well. Did I mention Combat 4? And with Seamus, any 7 or higher will animate her, so she's cheaper than Alyce.
The Hooded Rider does damage based on how many spaces he's moved maxing at 4, and his upgrade, while expensive to get off, is downright epic.
That isn't to say that Alyce isn't awesome, she is... but I'm not sure about auto-include in every list I play.