Mages dont suck.... just need to know how to play.... I can solo any map including AO2 but i agree you really need to know the combos really well.... Pure Mages do relay on gear a lot and needs to change equipment depending on soloing or not... which is a bit of a pain but thats the life you live.

In my opinion, Pallies are good only if you are not soloing or it can get pretty tough because you dont have the range and need to fight 1 on 1 unlike a mage which can change to a Thoth AOE staff and AOE with spells, Mage can solo effectively and quicker.

Pallies can rush better then pure Mage but a mage who knows how to play can also rush, I rarely die in a rush these days and there are certain positions were a mage can follow a tank without even getting hit till the boss but you really need to know how to use a mage.

Pallies in PVP can beat a mage "IF" they can one hit them or else I find I can own anyone (most of the time) who cannot 1 hit kill me. There are certain buffs and debuffs which you can use to off set the other classes when they use magic but its really about how quickly you can react.

So to your question, Pallies are good but depends on how you like to play.

my 2 cents worth, Inching