Study the Classics

Doubling a creature’s power and/or toughness creates a continuous effect. This effect modifies that creature’s power and/or toughness but doesn’t set those characteristics to a specific value. See rule 613.4c.

To double a creature’s power, that creature gets +X/+0, where X is that creature’s power as the spell or ability that doubles its power resolves. Similarly, an effect that doubles a creature’s toughness gives it +0/+X, where X is that creature’s toughness. Doubling a creature’s power and toughness gives it +X/+Y, where X is its power and Y is its toughness.

If a creature’s power is less than 0 when it’s doubled, doubling that creature’s power instead means that the creature gets -X/-0, where X is the difference between 0 and its power. Similarly, if its toughness is less than 0 when doubled, it gets -0/-X. If one characteristic’s value is negative but the other isn’t when both are doubled, it gets -X/+Y or +X/-Y, as appropriate.

To double a player’s life total, the player gains or loses an amount of life such that their new life total is twice its current value.

To double the number of a kind of counters on a player or permanent, give that player or permanent as many of those counters as that player or permanent already has.

To double the amount of a type of mana in a player’s mana pool, that player adds an amount of mana of that type equal to the amount they already have.

To double an amount of damage a source would deal, that source instead deals twice that much damage. This is a replacement effect.