Do cards with Persist work with the recently spoiled Nest of Scarabs?
Yes, if you controlled the creature when it died and thus controlled the persist trigger.
When a creature with persist enters the battlefield under your control with a -1/-1 counter on it, the player who controlled the persist trigger is considered by the game to have placed the counter on it. If that’s you, then Nest of Scarabs triggers and gives you an insect token when the trigger resolves.











