On the original EA Shogun server: never be the #3 guy to sign up for a match. #2, #4 or higher = OK. Every time I was the 3rd guy, someone would drop, and game-over.

I don't remember anyone else mentioning this. But after a couple weeks of signing up third, then getting a dead game, the superstition worked for me.

I just called it the "3rd-on-a-match curse", and waited.