Playing as a mage there are only a few ways to speed up the process of getting the cards you truly want to destroy your opponent. There are several minions that allow for you draw cards through deathrattles, battlecries, and even by damage. When creating a mage deck 2 cards that can help improve drawing cards are Arcane Intellect and Acolyte of Pain.
I personally think that Arcane Intellect is superior because you get a guaranteed 2 cards while with Acolyte of Pain you may waste 2 mana shooting your own hero power at it in order to draw 1 card.
It is simple: 3 mana gives you 2 new cards vs 5 mana give you 1 card.
If you extract the first card from acolyte that way, barring silence you're likely to at least get the second. But I do see the point. I use both, probably to a fault.
In terms of consistency, I'd say Arcane Intellect is far superior. You always know you'll receive two cards, where as Acolyte can't guarantee you that.
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"Or of course, because you are 'a strong, independent deck builder, who needs no blizzard to tell them what to include', you make your deck deliberately weaker." - Skaduush1
Arcane intellect is probably better in mage because it synergizes more with the class being a class card. You can use it to buff mana wyrm and being 3 mana you can use it to try and topdeck into something like flamestrike on turn 10. Acolyte has its uses but tempo wise it's much slower requiring 5 mana to draw 1 card now and 1 card later vs 3 mana to draw 2 cards now.
The stats are crap, but if you can manage to drop it and draw more than 1 card you are making bank (especially if it can trade!)
they are filling two different roles though (Immediate draw vs trade potential and potential draw)
I choose acolyte due to the potential it has when talking about presence and draw. I often get the 2 cards out of it without having to ping him. And if I can get 3 out of him for 5 mana (usually ping him for the second draw, not the first) then I am usually crushing the game.
I still feel the convo is moot because we are comparing immediate gratification to delayed gratification and potential.
The synergy with arcane intellect is far superior, acolyte works well for my warrior deck for draw with whirlwind and where warrior does not have an early game draw besides shield block this usually trades and gets 2 cards easily and synergizes with armorsmith etc.
I love acolyte of pain but i have not played it in my mage deck in quite some time.
Almost every class has better draw potential with their own class cards, with most having a dual purpose card with draw to cycle while Mage only has AI. I would love to see it buffed by Spell Power which I don't feel would make it OP. Or make one of the Mage's card cycle like most other classes like if AM kills a minion draw a card that's always random enough.
Acolyte of Pain does put a 1/3 body on the board and can be a magnet for silences, which can protect your other minions from silence. That being said, from a card draw perspective, I'd take the immediate two cards you get from Arcane Intellect.
With a character like Mage, that has virtually no class specific defenses besides freeze and Mirror Image, which only delay. And also cant gain board control until like t6 minimum, i think that your opinion is quite faulted. As I said the Mage has no possible way of developing and sustaining a superior board state, making the minion part of Acolyte completely irrelivent, in my opinion, if u are using AoP on t3 then its silenced, due to all the new Naxx cards silencing is rising. Unless you can generate other threats or hatebears so you can properly utilize AoP, Arcane Intellect is far superior.
Playing as a mage there are only a few ways to speed up the process of getting the cards you truly want to destroy your opponent. There are several minions that allow for you draw cards through deathrattles, battlecries, and even by damage. When creating a mage deck 2 cards that can help improve drawing cards are Arcane Intellect and Acolyte of Pain.
I personally think that Arcane Intellect is superior because you get a guaranteed 2 cards while with Acolyte of Pain you may waste 2 mana shooting your own hero power at it in order to draw 1 card.
It is simple: 3 mana gives you 2 new cards vs 5 mana give you 1 card.
What do you all think? Debate!
If you extract the first card from acolyte that way, barring silence you're likely to at least get the second. But I do see the point. I use both, probably to a fault.
In terms of consistency, I'd say Arcane Intellect is far superior. You always know you'll receive two cards, where as Acolyte can't guarantee you that.
"Or of course, because you are 'a strong, independent deck builder, who needs no blizzard to tell them what to include', you make your deck deliberately weaker." - Skaduush1
Arcane intellect is probably better in mage because it synergizes more with the class being a class card. You can use it to buff mana wyrm and being 3 mana you can use it to try and topdeck into something like flamestrike on turn 10. Acolyte has its uses but tempo wise it's much slower requiring 5 mana to draw 1 card now and 1 card later vs 3 mana to draw 2 cards now.
for mage, who can't buff acolyte easily, arcane intellect is probably better. If I had the choice in other classes, I'd pick acolyte.
Acolyte has far more potential (obviously)
The stats are crap, but if you can manage to drop it and draw more than 1 card you are making bank (especially if it can trade!)
they are filling two different roles though (Immediate draw vs trade potential and potential draw)
I choose acolyte due to the potential it has when talking about presence and draw. I often get the 2 cards out of it without having to ping him. And if I can get 3 out of him for 5 mana (usually ping him for the second draw, not the first) then I am usually crushing the game.
I still feel the convo is moot because we are comparing immediate gratification to delayed gratification and potential.
The synergy with arcane intellect is far superior, acolyte works well for my warrior deck for draw with whirlwind and where warrior does not have an early game draw besides shield block this usually trades and gets 2 cards easily and synergizes with armorsmith etc.
I love acolyte of pain but i have not played it in my mage deck in quite some time.
Wumbo Jenkins
Good points have been brought up.
i think int if you need draws, if that would be your only way to draw, but if not pain cuz he's also a body on the board
Depends on the rest of your deck.
Arcane goes well with mana wyrm, Archmage Antonidas, Sorc Apprentice.
Acoylte of Pain goes well with Unstable Ghoul, most taunts, dire wolf alpha, defender of argus, etc.
Not sure if hyped yet.
Almost every class has better draw potential with their own class cards, with most having a dual purpose card with draw to cycle while Mage only has AI. I would love to see it buffed by Spell Power which I don't feel would make it OP. Or make one of the Mage's card cycle like most other classes like if AM kills a minion draw a card that's always random enough.
I feel like it is worth noting that Acolyte of Pain has synergy with Knife Juggler for those who run it.
Get with it.
Acolyte of Pain does put a 1/3 body on the board and can be a magnet for silences, which can protect your other minions from silence. That being said, from a card draw perspective, I'd take the immediate two cards you get from Arcane Intellect.
With a character like Mage, that has virtually no class specific defenses besides freeze and Mirror Image, which only delay. And also cant gain board control until like t6 minimum, i think that your opinion is quite faulted. As I said the Mage has no possible way of developing and sustaining a superior board state, making the minion part of Acolyte completely irrelivent, in my opinion, if u are using AoP on t3 then its silenced, due to all the new Naxx cards silencing is rising. Unless you can generate other threats or hatebears so you can properly utilize AoP, Arcane Intellect is far superior.
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