On Node 3 vs Watcher in the Web, the second bonus is “Summon zero creatures with lifelink”
I had Shadowspear in play, which was fine with the first creature I cast, but when I reinforced the creature it counted it against the bonus. This happened twice, with two different creatures in first slot. Neither creature had lifelink, except that given to it by Shadowspear. 3 points gone!
That’s because there’s strange behavior in the “summon” mechanic. If the objective would have been “cast”, it would work like you describe (or that’s what I expect at least).
Hard to tell if this is intended or not. If you cast a creature without lifelink, no problem. If that creature gains lifelink from another source while entering the battlefield, the “summon” mechanic kicks in and fails the objective.
Usually cast or summon only looks at the way the creature enters the battlefield, but in this unique case it looks at how the lifelink keyword enters the battlefield.
The question is: is it normal for a keyword to enter the battlefield, apart from a creature that enters the battlefield?
That wouldn’t make it any clearer. Apparently the rulebook states that added evergreens (now made visual in yellow) are imprinted upon casting, or call it “on the stack” in paper Magic terms, so before entering the battlefield.
All we need is a copy of that rulebook.
Another solution would be to change the Lifeless objective from “summon” to “cast”. Outside Story mode that objective is only used in 2 different events. Impact would be small, and it prevents frustration. But it wouldn’t add to our understanding of the rulebook that way. Even the opposite I’d say, because we would know it works for us, but not why.