Variant is not a replacement for roulette dungeons because they alone have no inherent value to be completed other than for the sake of completing them as they are tied to no roulette and unlock nothing. They also have a poor reward scheme.

Saying variant is a replacement for roulette dungeons is like saying directly queueing for a random dungeon is a replacement for doing the roulette. One has clearly superior rewards, is encouraged by the system and isn’t cut loose into the graveyard of barely supported content

Either variant needs to be given its own roulette that selects a dungeon and a route direction (ie either left right or centre) or variant needs to be dumped in favour of returning extra dungeons that can be put on the roulettes