Persistent Constrictor is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, they lose 1 life and you put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature they control. 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.)
Complete guide
Persistent Constrictor is a menacing Zombie Snake that slowly drains the life and strength from your enemies. Its presence ensures that your opponents face a constant decline in resources, while its Persist ability makes it incredibly difficult to remove for good. This card is a powerhouse for attrition-based strategies that seek to outlast the competition.
A Recurring Nightmare
Persistent Constrictor features two primary abilities: a triggered upkeep ability and Persist. At the start of every opponent's upkeep, you choose up to one creature they control; that player loses 1 life and the creature receives a -1/-1 counter. If the Constrictor is killed, Persist checks if it had any -1/-1 counters on it. If it was clean, it returns to the battlefield immediately with a single -1/-1 counter already on it.
Resolution Step-by-Step
When an opponent's upkeep begins, the first ability triggers and goes on the stack. You must choose a target creature at this time if you wish to apply the counter. As the ability resolves, it checks if the target is still legal. If the target was removed or gained hexproof in response, the entire ability fails: the opponent will not lose life and no counter is placed. If the creature dies, Persist triggers. When this resolves, the card moves from the graveyard back to the battlefield as a new object.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion is how Persist interacts with other counters. If a creature has both +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, they negate each other as a state-based action. If Persistent Constrictor has a -1/-1 counter from Persist and you later add a +1/+1 counter to it, both are removed. This actually allows Persist to trigger again if it dies later! However, if it receives enough -1/-1 counters to die while it already had a +1/+1 counter, Persist will not trigger because the game looks at its state just before it left the battlefield.
Strategic Timing
Play Persistent Constrictor when you can protect it or when the opponent relies on small utility creatures. Because it triggers on *each* opponent's upkeep, it is significantly stronger in multiplayer games. Use it to pick off creatures with 1 toughness immediately or to slowly shrink larger threats so they can no longer block effectively.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield and you choose 'Snake' or 'Zombie', Persistent Constrictor's upkeep ability will trigger an additional time. At the start of an opponent's upkeep, you will be able to target two different creatures (or the same one twice) to place -1/-1 counters, and the opponent will lose a total of 2 life.
Solemn SimulacrumIf your opponent controls Solemn Simulacrum, you can target it during their upkeep. Persistent Constrictor puts a -1/-1 counter on the Simulacrum, making it a 1/1. If the opponent uses a spell to sacrifice the Simulacrum in response to the trigger, the Constrictor's ability will be removed from the stack for having an illegal target, and the opponent will not lose 1 life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Persistent Constrictor
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target as Persistent Constrictor's first ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will lose life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature has +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it, state-based actions remove the same number of each so that it has only one kind of those counters on it. A creature's persist ability can bring it back again if its -1/-1 counters are removed this way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Persistent Constrictor
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