MTG

• Inkshield
• Peregrin Took

I'm also not a judge, but the way I would expect it to work is that each time a source would deal damage, regardless of the amount of damage, that's a separate token-generating event.

Say an opponent attacks you with Savai Sabertooth and Fencing Ace. You cast Inkshield before they deal damage. Then you go to the first-strike damage step. Fencing Ace would deal one damage, instead you make one Inkling and one food. Next you go to the normal damage step. Fencing Ace gets another damage prevented; you get one more Inkling and one more food from that. Sabertooth would deal three damage, so you get three Inklings and one food from that. Your final count is five Inklings and three food.

I'm not sure about this ruling because as you note, the wording of Inkshield is unusual. This is the most relevant rule I could find:

615.13. Some triggered abilities trigger when damage that would be dealt is prevented. Such an ability triggers each time a prevention effect is applied to one or more simultaneous damage events and prevents some or all of that damage.

I think that supports my theory that three damage from Savai Sabertooth is one "damage event" and therefore one token-producing trigger. But a judge might say otherwise.

I tried looking for clarity about what a "damage event" is and how it works. Rule 120.4 is the relevant one. But it didn't elucidate this question for me.