Persist
Persist is a keyword ability. Persist was introduced in Shadowmoor.
From the ()
Rulings
- All cards currently printed with persist are creatures. If a creature with persist stops being a creature (for example, if an artifact creature with persist becomes a noncreature artifact due to Neurok Transmuter's second ability), persist will still trigger.
- Likewise, if a noncreature permanent becomes a creature, gains persist, and is put into a graveyard, the persist ability will still trigger even though that permanent won't be a creature when it returns to the battlefield.
- If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they'll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, any others will do nothing since the card is no longer in a graveyard.
- If a card with persist is removed from a graveyard before the persist ability resolves, persist will do nothing.
- Tokens can gain persist, and the ability will trigger if a token is put into a graveyard. However, like all tokens, it can't return to the battlefield and will cease to exist as a state-based action before the ability would go on the stack.
- When a permanent with persist is put into a graveyard and then returns to the battlefield, it becomes a new object with no memory of its previous existence. It has "summoning sickness."
- Persist triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard and relies on the last known information about that permanent when it left the battlefield. If a permanent with a +1/+1 counter on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to reduce its toughness to 0 or less or have lethal damage marked on it, it won't return to the battlefield despite the state-based action of +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters "cancelling each other out". As the permanent last existed on the battlefield, it had a -1/-1 counter on it, so persist won't trigger.
Example
Color percentages
There is a total of 25 cards that involve persist, which divide by color as such:
- Multicolor = 44 %
- Artifact = 16 %
- Black = 8 %
- Blue = 8 %
- Green = 8 %
- Red = 8 %
- White = 8 %
Trivia
- Persist was featured as rules card 5 of 6 in the Shadowmoor set and 5 of 8 in the Eventide set.
- Persist mirrors Undying.