PvE population has nothing to do with wvw population. Only wvw playtime makes influences if your server is full or not. Rejoice Kiss left your server. :)
I still dont get it why they are not removing the desert map. Matchup are even less fair than they are already. Must be some kind of defiance because they made the map but most ppl dont like it.
Mesmer pull is fine. You have enough advantage if you are defending stuff. Just use a stunbreak or stability. Also I think the pull is quite visible. There is also not so much mesmers around and pull is one of their best tools for fights and siege.