Badge chest piece questionFollow

I'm trying to plan ahead for badge gear that I want and would like hear thoughts on two different chest pieces.

Ecclesiastical Cuirass – costs 100 Badges
Plate
Chest
1765 Armor
+52 Stamina
+44 Intellect
Blue Socket
Socket Bonus: +2 Spell Critical Strike Rating
Equip: Improves spell critical strike rating by 43.
Equip: Increases healing done by up to 97
and damage done by up to 33 for all magical spells and effects.
Item Level 141

Wave of Life Chestguard – costs 100 Badges
Mail
Chest
988 Armor
+39 Stamina
+51 Intellect
Red Socket
Socket Bonus: 1 Mana per 5 sec.
Equip: Increases healing done by up to 118
and damage done by up to 37 for all magical spells and effects.
Equip: Restores 14 mana per 5 sec.
Item Level 141


Obviously, the Chestguard is mail versus the plate Cuirass, so it's roughly 800 less armor. But, it has more Intellect (+7 diff) and more +Healing (+21 difference).

The primary difference is MP5 (Chestguard) versus spell crit (Cuirass).

I know spell crit is big for paladin mana return, but the MP5 on the Chestguard is pretty big. Is the Cuirass better because of the spell crit? Or, are these two kind of a 6 of one, half dozen of the other type thing?

Thanks of any input.

Depends on the rest of your stats. Don't pay TOO much attention to its armor though, the only time I ever really NEEDED it was when I was the 'bait' for tidewalker. I had never needed it before, nor since.