Elenodul wrote:I have a question on how Zealous Persecution works.
i just had a game where i had a Voice of Resurgence with 1 damage on it and my opponent cast Zealous Persecution. the Voice dies of course, but my opponent claimed that since i had no other creatures out, the token Voice creates when it dies, would also die, because the -1/-1 from Zealous Persecution was still affecting creatures on my side, even ones that entered the battlefield after the spell resolved. i claim it only affects the creatures on the battle field at the time the spell resolves.
Who is right?
Short answer: You are right (As Memo said). It only affects the creatures when the spell resolves.
Long answer: If anyone wants to read the ruling for it (along with official examples) I've pasted it below. The bold emphasis is my own. I'm including this as a disclaimer because the exceptions to this rule can be hard to grasp without the examples.
Example: An effect that reads “All white creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn” gives the bonus to all permanents that are white creatures when the spell or ability resolves — even if they change color later — and doesn’t affect those that enter the battlefield or turn white afterward.
Example: An effect that reads “Prevent all damage creatures would deal this turn” doesn’t modify any object’s characteristics, so it’s modifying the rules of the game. That means the effect will apply even to damage from creatures that weren’t on the battlefield when the continuous effect began. It also affects damage from permanents that become creatures later in the turn.