4v4 or 8v8, which do you prefer?

[RiceisNice]

That's true. I wasn't being clear. However, the baseline PvP skills you have access to at Rank 1 do not compare to those that are buffed with AP points.

I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a tremendous (dis)advantage, let alone "hardly better than not having them at all". You generally don't know what the other team even has and I typically assume they have the best setup possible. They're either using the skills or they aren't. Abilities like full swing, axe kick and the like are hardly anything to scoff at, even if it's untraited.