You have to understand the skills you have and how they work. They are like any other ranger really, snare/ambush is still going to net you kills. The one thing going for them is their amazing defensive capability inside or outside of the wilds (especially inside). The utility of their extra serpent strike as well as the devastating effects of timed attack (which is annoying to pull off I agree) can change the way a battle goes.
As always YMMV.
