unexpected result, perhaps a bug?
Attached a screenshot in case it helps. I hit a Polukranos, Unchained with Slaying Fire and I have a Torbran, Thrane of Red Fell in play. Because this deals 6 damage it should have removed 6 +1/+1 from Pol resulting in it going to the graveyard. Instead it only removed 4.
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MTGfan2000#07562 commented
Problem is the language tense. It would deal 4 so it would deal 6 instead. Pol's text refers in past tense so in essence because the 4 damage has to take place to prevent it then it would deal 6 to have 6 counters removed. For only 4 counters to be removed Pol's text needs to read as such: If damage will be dealt to Polukranos while it has a +1/+1 counter on it, prevent that damage and remove that many +1/+1 counters from it.
That tense refers then to only the 4 damage. However "would be" changes the tense in such that the 4 is instead the 4 + 2. Tense is very important in language. In this case for the damage to be referred to in past tense then it had to have a present form. Thus the present form condition was met for Torbran for it to have a past tense occurrence in the target. For the present tense of Torbran not to trigger future tense has to be used in Pol's text to negate it so that the present tense never occurred. Otherwise the 4 happens and turns to 6 thus removing 6.
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Spaceknight42#41536 commented
It's an order-of-operations / replacement effect thing.
The replacement of the 4 damage to removing 4 counters happened, which means there was actually no damage and thus Torbran didn't trigger.