Quote Originally Posted by Mikimba View Post
Thanks very much for all responses.

To give more context: my High-Elf Bladesinger is a dedicated melee frontliner and usually goes side-by-side in the heat of the battle with our Barbarian and Paladin. Of course I play the mobility game regularly staying behind them.

Current relevant rolled stats are 18 DEX, 16 CON, 16 INT. I’m at level 4 and got Resilient (CON) to roundup my odd Constitution.

My spell selection is pretty focused on support and potencialize my melee-driven capabilities. So lots of Shield, Mage Armor, Absorb Elements and Shadow Blade. I have some battlefield control staples just in case, but tend to not use that much (Grease and Blindness/Deafness when the situation is favorable; just dropped Mirror Image recently in favor of Blur and now seeing a good opportunity to get PFE&G).

I know some classic killer spells like Web, Levitate, Hypnotic Pattern and Fireball can do wonders, but I’m really attached to this play style of an iconic spellsword.

.:.

In the end of the day, given easiness and low risk, it seems an upcasted Shadow Blade is the way to go. However, if I have proper preparation time to setup, Haste will not only increase my offense, but also my defense. Well, I’d say it’s good to have both options!
My bladesinger/arcane trickster is my favorite character. (My very first adventurers league character, actually) and I found myself in this exact dilemma.

What I found is that shadowblade is overall a better use of concentration and scales well. 5th level shadowblade (4D8) can be absolutely vicious. Casting it at 7th level is too much opportunity cost, though. Haste is better to have cast on you by someone else. Preferably, if a sorcerer is in the party they can twin haste on you and another DPS in the party while you use shadowblade. This ups your lethality even more with 3 attacks dealing 4D8 + dex. Potion of speed is another major plus if you're able to get your hand on a few of these babies. Save them for a really nasty boss fight, though. And counter any dispel magic thrown your way to avoid losing a turn.