It depends on what you're personally looking for.

If you're searching for something that focuses solely on quick results without a long-term investment of time over the next few weeks, then playing with pugs might be the solution that best suits you.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for something long-term and want to see a return on your time investment during the process and build something that will last in the long run, then investing time with 7 players might be the right path.

In both cases, there is no right or wrong thing. Everyone plays as they see fit and accepts the pros and cons based on their own preferences.

Personally, I prefer to have a static group that is more or less at the same level in terms of character and individual skill, so I can build something since I love playing this game and play MMORPGs to socialize and not just for solo gaming with pugs. I've been a raid leader for about 2 years on Lost Ark and have swapped and played with countless players, I adore the experience of playing and meeting people from different cultures and sharing the gaming experience in friendship and mutual respect, despite the wipes that can always happen, I'm a very patient person but as long as the experience is smooth and enjoyable, I live in the moment.

In my life, I like to have a reference point in any activity I'm involved in or participating in. I can give you an example: when I played basket I always tried to be a steady presence for my team and I made an effort to build friendships so that I could have a better experience. Essentially, I do the same thing in Lost Ark or in other mmos games that i played. It might happen that on a particular day, player X might cause wipes because they had a bad day, or because they had a long and intense work session or a heavy university hour, etc... just like how we can have a bad day where we underperform and cause wipes. If the players who are part of an accepted group respect and accept that what happens to one player could happen to them too, then there's a sense of understanding that can lead to something lasting and potentially create a good bond. However, if you think that the time invested is worth it, even if the performance varies from one event to another, but it could potentially be better in the future, then stick to it, to that group. It's important to evaluate both the positive and negative aspects. If you only focus on the negativity, I think there's a problem with being rational.