Having multiple paths to victory, instead of just one, can keep us coming back to a deck instead of getting bored of it
If that player declines to have you draw, you may play a creature with a lesser or equal toughness directly from your hand without paying its mana cost
We rarely see Gengar with the complementary red background this card boasts, and matching the color in its eyes is an excellent bonus that makes this card stand out
The fewer colors in your deck, the better this card ends up being because you wont have to pay as much life
The ability to turn off life gain is important for decks that can deal a finite amount of damage, and, unlike Stigma Lasher, we can control who we hit with its ability, which functions outside of combat