Exactly this.

It's deeply ironic that replacing private server lobbies with "competitive matchmaking" is the direct cause of rampant cheating.

Back in the day, you'd find a server with a ping, map rotation, and culture you liked and add it to your favourites list. Then, you'd choose the server you wanted to play on.

I was a huge fan of the 24/7 Hunted server in Team Fortress Classic and a pair of Warcraft Mod Counter Strike 2 servers back in the day. Playing a night elf with life leech and the root special (prevent enemy movement for a few seconds) or an orc with up to 8× grenade damage? So much fun.