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, it's still a marked symbol of new players. 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 (or all of the above).
Even when compared to other Neutral minions, it's outclassed by multiple cards:
- Gnomeregan Infantry has exactly the same stats and Charge.
- Twilight Geomancer has the same stats while being 1 mana cheaper and also providing the 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.
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.