Originally posted by ares834
Not according to Sidious in the Essential Guide to the Force.
Quote? This source seems to disagree.
Soon after his departure, though Count Dooku is visited by the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. The loss of Sith Lord's former apprentice, Darth Maul, motivates Sidious to seek out a new apprentice, a convert who already has the training he needs-and who can be turned to the dark side.
-- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
Maul had greater potential and was trained before Sidious knew about Anakin. Dooku is a finished product with a lower ceiling; he's like one of those pre-promoted characters in Fire Emblem while Maul is like Nino. Dooku also has more political and financial connections. He won't live as long, which could be a plus or minus.
Pre-Anakin, Maul was likely the better choice. Post-Anakin, Maul's potential is redundant and Sidious would value Dooku's connections more.
Originally posted by ares834
Huh? How does that "seem to disagree"? Anyway, I don't have access to the book right now but that quote has been contradicted by TCW as Dooku is already going by the name Darth Tyranus prior to Maul's death.
Because Sidious wasn't planning to have Maul replaced? And where was it stated that Dooku was named Tyranus by Sidious before Maul's death?
I don't believe Sidious would've picked favorites, but ultimately, it'd be Vader.
Between Maul and Dooku, I don't know. They were both appropriate and effective for entirely different reasons. Maul was trained with a brighter future in mind, but ultimately once Palpatine learnt about Anakin everything else became second to him.