Silverback Patriarch is a staple among the many terrible Basic cards, up there with the infamous Magma Rager in just how bad its stats are. While the card is not as memetically horrible as the rager, its inclusion in a deck is still a marked symbol of a new player. Silverback Patriarch is about as low on the power chain as you could make a 3 mana Taunt. As such, the game quite frequently receives new Taunt minions with similar but better stats and effects.
Within the Basic card set, Silverback Patriarch competes with Ironfur Grizzly in the 3 mana slot, which is superior when stats are compared (2 more Attack at the expense of 1 Health). Various class cards from other sets are strictly better/cheaper when compared stat-wise:
Fierce Monkey is a Beast much like Silverback Patriarch, but has 2 extra Attack for the same mana cost.- Hot Spring Guardian has 1 extra Attack and restores 3 Health.
- Crypt Lord has 2 extra Health and gains more Health when you summon a minion.
- Druid of the Swarm costs 1 less, has 1 extra Health, is a Beast, and can optionally become a Poisonous 1/2.
- Druid of the Scythe has 1 extra Attack, is a Beast, and can optionally become a 4/2 with Rush.
- Wardruid Loti has 2 extra Health, is a Beast, and can optionally become a 4/2 with Rush, a 1/2 with Stealth and Poisonous, or a 1/4 with Spell Damage +1.
- Archspore Msshi'fn has 2 extra Attack and shuffles Msshi'fn Prime into your deck upon death.
- Insatiable Felhound has 1 extra Attack and Health and can be Corrupted to gain +1/+1 and Lifesteal.
- Midway Maniac has 1 extra Health and costs 1 less.
- Dreaming Drake has 2 extra Attack and can be Corrupted to gain +2/+2.
- Scrapsmith has 1 more Attack and adds two 2/4 Taunt minions to your hand.
- Muckborn Servant has 1 more Attack and Discovers a Paladin card.
- Walking Dead has 1 more Attack and Health and is summoned for free if it's discarded.
Even when compared to other Neutral minions, it's outclassed by multiple cards:
- Gnomeregan Infantry has exactly the same stats and Charge.
- Twilight Geomancer costs 1 less and provides a Taunt buff to C'Thun.
- Squirming Tentacle has 1 more Attack for the same mana cost.
- Tar Creeper has 1 extra Health and gains Attack on your opponent's turn.
- Stonehill Defender has the same stats but lets you Discover a Taunt minion.
- Phantom Militia has 1 more Attack and Echo.
- Bronze Gatekeeper has 1 more Health and Magnetic.
- Belligerent Gnome costs 1 less and can potentially gain 1 extra Attack.
- Overconfident Orc has 2 more Health and gains 2 Attack while undamaged.
- Death's Head Cultist has 1 more Attack and restores 4 Health to your hero on death.
- Treasure Guard has 1 more Health and draws you a card when it dies.
- Silvermoon Sentinel has 1 more Attack and Health and gains +2/+2 and Divine Shield if you have 8 or more mana.
Regardless of this, Silverback Patriarch is not an example of power creep because the card has never been a powerful minion. Printing a stronger version is ultimately harmless since no competitive deck has ever even thought of running such a bad card. If a card is already so bad it might as well not exist, a stronger alternative changes nothing. If you want to see this and more, head to List of Powercreeped Cards.