PUGing is getting more edgy

I still like to PUG gold games (plat games are hard to PUG at all).  Lately the number of players seems to have dropped off (since the holidays), and successful PUGing has become a strategic endeavor.   Invariably I join a group of one, and then wait for others to join.  This is OK when the other player is equipped for gold (character level, appropriate weapon and boosters), but often the other player has a low level character, bad weapon, or low experience.  Often I will wait to see if some better players show up, but now I wait for long periods, unless we decide to start and let new players join later.  This is a dicey decision, which often depends on your teammates skills (or lack thereof).  Sometimes you end up playing a duet or trio, and you may need to carry a few waves yourself alone.  Here are some scenarios that have actually happened to me:

Aggro Sponge - This happens when you are teamed with an Infiltrator type or two, which leaves all the enemy aggro directed at me.  All the bad guys come for me, and he picks them off before I die.  When he dies, things get tough...  

I Ain't Moving - When your teammate sets up in one place, and the NPCs start piling on.  You can stay and fight, but 2 is not enough, so it is often better to get back and attack from a flank.  He/she will surely die, but they still don't move.  Can't wait to wade in and revive him, and perhaps die in the process...

What team?  - Where your teammate purposefully stays on the opposite side of the map from you, and moves away from you when you try to fight closer together.  Really makes for fun revives, especially if they keep dying...

Connection Blues - Make sure the host has at least 3 bars; 4 bars is the best.  Sometimes rubberbanding and lag happen even with 4 bars; I will often drop out of the game in the first wave if it is noticeable.


Anybody else having fun these days?