Lesser Masticore
Artifact Creature — Masticore
: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
Legal in
Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander
Rulings (5)
Once persist returns the creature, it's considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras that were attached to it won't return to the battlefield. Equipment that was attached to it will remain unattached. Any counters that were on it won't be put on the new creature.
2019-06-14
You must discard exactly one card to cast Lesser Masticore; you can't cast it without discarding a card, and you can't discard additional cards. If Lesser Masticore enters the battlefield without being cast (perhaps because of its persist ability) you don't discard a card.
2019-06-14
If a card with persist is removed from the graveyard after it dies but before the ability trigger resolves, it won't be returned to the battlefield.
2019-06-14
If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner's graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won't trigger and the card won't return to the battlefield. That's because persist checks the creature as it last existed on the battlefield, and it still had -1/-1 counters on it at that point.
2019-06-14