Pointed Discussion

This is some really weird art right here.

Why does the Patriarch want +4/-4? He'd be a 9/1, and then would die from a chump-blocking Insidious Bookworms.

If you're planning on using this to kill a creature you might want to consider Death Pulse, Sudden Death or Tomb Hex instead.

I guess the Patriarch came out of the closet with this card.

Easily the worst of the cycle. The arts awesome in a creepy way though. 1/5.

I love the art, honestly, even if the effect kind of sucks.

I had one for the longest time and whenever I'd stick it in my casual black deck I always kind of regretted it. I just used it for removal, and then replaced it entirely with actual removal.

Good removal in my cube of crappy cards.

That art is just...lol.

Think of the art as representing Cabal Patriarch as wanting someone to become really, really ill, representing the up to -4 toughness from the enchantment. But why would the creature then get +4 power? I'm glad you asked! The disease is really contagious, so whatever comes into contact with enchanted creature ends up catching some of it, taking more damage than it normally would (because the disease is really serious). This is especially true if the illness has reached its "final stage" (threshold).

The card is also kind of in tune with the Patriarch himself, as he likes dealing out -2/-2 to things. In the end you can always enchant the Patriarch himself with his Desire, in which case he becomes a wandering biological weapon, dealing a whopping 9 damage in case he gets to hit the opponent. Sure, small blockers can stand in his way, but the Patriarch's own abilities should make short work of such puny obstacles.

Flavorwise, I love this card, but mechanically speaking there's definitely better cards out there.