I only read the OP then skimmed through the rest of the thread, so sorry if someone said something to these ends already. I totally agree that the overabundance of small flatmaps/arena maps have caused the game to enter into stagnation. BUT, I don't think that they are the problem. Instead, they are...

KomradeKorakoff wrote:

hompy

& Mikuli

Intel touches shouldn't be used as a tie-breaking statistic, only because it can be easily exploited. A player could suicide with a grenade right outside his CP, and his teammates could pick up the intel and repeat the process for as long as they wanted. If a google spreadsheet is used again, touche...

Minit, Aloha, and Komrade servers are the only ones that I trust to not be stupid. Everything else goes without moderation for too long. I used to go on Sham's frequently, but nowadays there aren't many players when I'm in the mood to play.

I'm not in "the competitive scene" anymore, but players from <@> and then Komrades are probably the best atm.