I remember there was an insane sniper on the Tribe clan, but don't recall his name. Don't know how good they were as a group, but that one guy was nuts.
You're right though, anyone with a decent ping would rule especially with sniper. I was on 56k when playing it and My ping would usually sit around 250-300, yet somehow, as unimaginable as it seems now, I was able to play. Cyborg was the best class to play with a shit ping.