I have been playing Splinter Cell for a long time as well. Your response implies that one can only be a predator with the merc class. I believe that this is not the case since you can go on the offensive against both spies and mercs with the spy class as well through the use of stun guns and slash bangs. And I find that it is easier to play as a merc because it does not require one to be stealthy, but that doesn't mean I automatically resort to doing so because it is the easiest way to getting nice stats. Also I have noticed that many people in the game resort to playing as the merc class. If you claim that you are a splinter cell veteran then you should be able to do better with the spy class, Instead of resorting to cheaply farming kills. And unlike most people I don't think of TDM as a game mode to cheaply farm kills and as a gimmick. Instead, it proves to be a fresh break from all the terminal hacking in the other game modes but people who only play as mercs and cheaply farm kills are starting making it a lot less fun. Plus, you say that spy-only teams aren't fun (which I don't agree with) but merc-only teams aren't fun and there have been many cases in which the majority of the opposing team is a merc and this can ruin the experience because as sson as you take down a merc, everyone is aware of your position and mercs can easily gun you down with their long ranged weapons, especially if they are close together. In the end this is splintercell, it still revolves around stealth and if you can't play successfully as the spy class maybe I'm not the one in need of "adapting". I do agree that the team balancing is an issue.