Shatter vs. Time Bomb...can Shatter ever win?

DESCRIPTION OF THE CARD(S)

Time Bomb:

The Time Bomb card is an artifact that costs 4 generic mana to cast.

1) As a phase effect it gets a time counter token on it during its controller's upkeep phase.

2) For a cost of:

1 generic mana

Tapping of the Time Bomb

The removal of all counters from the Time Bomb

Sacrificing theTime Bomb
the Time Bomb does X damage to all creatures in play and to all players, where X is the number of time counters removed.

Shatter:

The Shatter card is an instant that costs 1 generic mana and 1 red mana to cast.

1) It destroys any one artifact.

Alex owns the Shatter card. Bob owns the Time Bomb card.

SCENARIO 1: Can Alex Shatter the Time Bomb as it's being cast?

No. According to the M:TG rules, " A permanent cannot be acted upon as a permanent until it is successfully resolved. This means it will have its full effect before you can do anything to it." So Alex has to wait until the Time Bomb is actually in play before he can Shatter it. Before the Time Bomb comes into play, it is a spell. Once in play, it becomes an artifact (one type of permanent).

FINAL RESULT:

The Time Bomb enters play, and becomes an artifact.

SCENARIO 2: Can Alex Shatter the Time Bomb in response to Bob trying to use the Time Bomb's ability to do damage?

No. Let's say Bob decides that he's going to invoke the ability of the Time Bomb to do damage. Here's the steps that describe the Life Cycle of the Time Bomb's ability to do damage:

0) Bob draws mana into his mana pool from some mana source. Alex may not respond to this.

1) Bob announces that he's going to "blow up" the Time Bomb (i.e. that he's going to invoke the ability of the Time Bomb to do damage). Announcing the intention to use an ability (or cast a spell) means you also pay all costs (which must be already available. This is why Bob drew the mana into his mana pool before announcing). During the announcement step, nothing can prevent the payment of the costs (Please note: There are things that prevent you from announcing the desire to play an ability. Without these, nothing stops the announcement, and thus nothing stops the payment of costs). This means that once Bob announces that he's going to "blow up" the Time Bomb, he immediately pays the 1 mana, taps the card, removes the counters, and sacrifices the Time Bomb without an interruption.

2) Alex may now attempt to interrupt the ability of the Time Bomb to do damage. Since Shatter is an instant and not an interrupt, he can't use it here.

3) The Time Bomb's ability to do damage is placed "in the stack" of spells/abilities that are awaiting resolution.

4) Alex may now choose to respond to Bob's placement of the Time Bomb's ability on the stack with an instant, a spell that may be cast as an instant or the ability of a permanent that can be played as an instant. So let's say he decides to respond at this point by casting Shatter. He first draws mana into his mana pool (a sub-step, and one to which Bob can't respond). Then he casts Shatter and without an interruption from Bob, it generally would have gone "in the stack", awaiting resolution. However that is NOT what happens. Because Alex's response is a whole new spell, it has a Life-Cycle, which means it has an announcement step. At the announcement step, the announcer must pick a valid target. Because the Time Bomb is already in Bob's Graveyard (sacrificing the Time Bomb is part of the cost Bob paid), then Alex can not target the Time Bomb with the Shatter spell. Therefore, Alex can not respond to Bob's placement of the Time Bomb's ability to do damage in the stack by casting Shatter on the Time Bomb.

FINAL RESULT:

The Time Bomb's ability to do damage is in the stack. Nothing else is in the stack, so the resolution (last to first) has just the Time Bomb in it. The ability resolves, and the Time Bomb deals X damage.

SCENARIO 3: Can Alex Shatter the Time Bomb before Bob "blows it up"?

Yes and No. If Bob is not willing to "blow up" his Time Bomb just yet, then Alex can certainly cast Shatter on it and the Time Bomb harmlessly goes to the graveyard. But let's see what happens if Bob is willing to "blow up" the Time Bomb, but Alex initiates things by casting Shatter first...

0) Alex draws mana into his mana pool from some mana source. Bob may not respond to this.

1) Alex announces that he's going to Shatter the Time Bomb. Announcing the intention to use an ability (or cast a spell) means you also pay all costs (which must be already available. This is why Alex drew the mana into his mana pool before announcing). During the announcement, the target (if there is one, and for Shatter there is) must be valid. Since the Time Bomb is just sitting there in play, it is a valid target.

2) Bob may now attempt to interrupt the Shatter spell. Since "blowing up the Time Bomb" is played as an instant and not an interrupt, he can't "blow up the Time Bomb" here.

3) The Shatter spell is placed "in the stack" of spells/abilities that are awaiting resolution.

4) Bob may now choose to respond to Alex's placement of the Shatter spell in the stack with an instant, a spell that can be cast as an instant or the ability of a permanent that can be played as an instant. "Blowing up the Time Bomb" is an ability that is played as an instant. So let's say Bob decides to respond at this point by "blowing up the Time Bomb". He first draws mana into his mana pool (a sub-step, and one to which Alex can't respond). Then he (a) pays the one generic mana, (b) taps the Time Bomb, (c) removes all counters from the Time Bomb, (d) sacrifices the Time Bomb, and without an interruption from Alex, the "ability of the Time bomb to do damage" goes "in the stack", awaiting resolution.

FINAL RESULT:

The Time Bomb's ability to do damage is in the stack last. The Shatter's effect is in the stack first. Stacked spells/abilities resolve last-to-first. So the "ability of the Time Bomb to do damage" resolves, doing X damage. Boom. Then the Shatter would resolve. However, it no longer has a valid target (the Time Bomb now being in Bob's Graveyard). Therefore the Shatter spell fizzles.