Really, I don't think this discussion should be about Skirmish vs. Pantheon. Given that the community has shrunk significantly over the past few months, it was necessary to eliminate one. Skirmish lost and that's OK. But Pantheon absolutely does need some fixes, as Pacov points out.
1. Eliminate the Light vs. Dark distinction. Yes, this in a sense would make Pantheon = Skirmish, but that's why that debate is senseless. This way, if 6 players are in the cue, the game can instantly generate a 3v3.
2. Do not allow AI involvement. I suspect players would be willing to wait a bit extra in time, if only to avoid AI teammates. This problem (of waiting for enough players) will be alleviated IF #1 is instantiated (eliminate light vs. dark).
3. Do not allow players to see who they are connecting to during the load-up screen. Being able to see other players' records during this time is definitely leading to a lot of insta-drops. Alternatively, install some sort of punishment system for players who drop during this time. The deal is that if you jump into a Pantheon game, you should be willing to play whatever match it sets up for you.
4. Instantiate better match-making, in terms of attempting to match players with relatively equal records against one another (as Skirmish was designed to do). I have no idea how well this system can work, but any attempt to enhance match-making would be aprpeciated. This improvement, BTW, is the least necessary of the 4 in this list.
/signed