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He can't respond to Sudden Shock because of the split second but once Sudden Shock has resolved he can respond to whatever is left on the stack before it resolves. So unless he only has 2 life left you can't kill him with your sudden shock.

Split second says

As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities

so once the spell is no longer on the stack the stack resolves as normal by passing priority back and forth with both players able to respond to whatever is on the stack.

So, if it were during my turn, as long as I after I cast Sudden Shock, the stack would completely resolve? Priority would not go back to the other player, correct?

Also, if it were their turn, the priority would be theirs once Sudden Shock resolved? I'm sorry if I'm being a bit ignorant. Just getting back into the game after a 3 year hiatus.

no you misunderstand, priority is always passed for every item on the stack in order to resolve it, only items with split second can't be reacted to.

example

You are the active player and have priority (= player A, your opponent is player B, lets say he's at 3 life)

A: cast lightning bolt

at this time you still have priority but you have to pass priority in order to have the lightning bolt resolve, so you pass priority to your opponent (but if you wanted you could cast something in addition to lightning bolt without passing priority).

player A passes priority

B: activates Zuran Orb and sacs a land then passes priority back to you
A: plays sudden shock

the stack looks like this

top: SUDDEN SHOCK
ZURAN ORB ABILITY
LIGHTNING BOLT

players can't respond to the stack as long as sudden shock is there so they let sudden shock resolve.

player B takes 2 damage and is at 1 life

the stack no w looks like this

top: ZURAN ORB ABILITY
LIGHTNING BOLT

in order to resolve the zuran Orb ability priority is once more passed between the two players (in Active player non active player sequence if I'm not mistaken)

player A passes priority
player B: activates zuran orb again sacking another land and passes priority

the stack

top: ZURAN ORB ABILITY
ZURAN ORB ABILITY
LIGHTNING BOLT

player A lets the ability resolve

player B gains 2 life and goes to a life total of 3

priority is passed again back and forth and the second zurand orb ability resolves setting the life total of player B to 5

priority is passed again back and forth and the lightning bolt resolves setting player B's life total to 2



Split second makes a difference when for instance the players life total would be at 2 life, then the sudden shock would kill him and he would not be able to gain life from zuran orb. It also matters when shooting down a creature with for instance regenerate as the owner of the creature would not be able to activate the regenarate ability (regeneration shield). Most of the time sudden shock is just an underpowered card :)

Thanks a lot, Seth. I really appreciate your input on this. I'd like to get your opinion on a deck I'm going to be playing in a Legacy format this weekend - why I asked about this situation. :)

To be fair, you CAN respond to split second, just not with anything that uses the stack.

IT'S ALWAYS WILLBENDER.

Actually, Epsilon, you bring up a valid point. Is the ability of Zuran Orb legit to use after split second?

[QUOTE=AssaultBattery]Actually, Epsilon, you bring up a valid point. Is the ability of Zuran Orb legit to use after split second?[/QUOTE]

not as long as a spell with split second is on the stack because Zuran Orb uses the stack like I already said.

There isn't much that doesn't use the stack, mana abilities are one, morph abilities another.

to Epsilon: do you need priority to use mana abilities? I've always assumed you still need priority. This is stuff that doesn't really have an impact on the game in competitive play so it never really comes up as an issue.

You don't need priority to activate a mana ability but you do need priority to spend the mana and you always gain priority so it's rather rare that it's relevant.

Zuran Orb isn't a mana ability so you can't use it with split second. The only really relevant things to do with split second are morph or sac outlets that produce mana like Ashnod's Altar or Phyrexian Tower. I suppose Pristine Talisman could be relevant for the life gain but it doesn't see much play. Springjack Pasture maybe?

are you sure the life gain ability of Pristine Talisman doesn't go on the stack?

[QUOTE=Seth]are you sure the life gain ability of Pristine Talisman doesn't go on the stack?[/QUOTE]

Per Gatherer:

6/1/2011 Pristine Talisman has a mana ability. Its ability doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.

that's interesting to know, thanks!!

I was having issues last weekend against someone using Life from the Loam, Zuran Orb and two Chalice of the Void.

Anyway, I countered the second game with some Echoing Ruin and Leyline of Punishment. It just wasn't enough. By the time I burnt him down, he'd destroyed two of the Leylines, and the Echoing Ruin I was going to cast to destroy his Zuran Orb was countered with a Chalice with X as 2.

Basically though, the only thing preventing me from killing him both rounds was his sac land to heal. Always absorbing what I was doing. I figured something like Sudden Shock would give me last word potential.

Thanks for the help guys.

[QUOTE=AssaultBattery]I was having issues last weekend against someone using Life from the Loam, Zuran Orb and two Chalice of the Void.

Anyway, I countered the second game with some Echoing Ruin and Leyline of Punishment. It just wasn't enough. By the time I burnt him down, he'd destroyed two of the Leylines, and the Echoing Ruin I was going to cast to destroy his Zuran Orb was countered with a Chalice with X as 2.

Basically though, the only thing preventing me from killing him both rounds was his sac land to heal. Always absorbing what I was doing. I figured something like Sudden Shock would give me last word potential.

Thanks for the help guys.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't sound like a fair matchup but there is stuff you can do

Challice of the void does a good job killing burn decks. To take it out you should probably run Engineered Explosives which enables you to play around a chalice on 1. To destroy a chalice on 2 you would need a second color in your deck but with so many burn spells of 1 mana your deck would mostly be CC1 if it's optimized.

Sulfuric Vortex is something you should play instead of Leyline of Punishment, it's just better.

Against loam you would need graveyard hate, Faerie Macabre is pretty effective in fast decks that need their mana. Tormod's crypt can be an option, Leyline of the Void, surgical extraction etc...

That said it wouldn't be the first time I lost to Chalice of the Void, that's no shame in that :)

PS: play Magus of the Moon or Blood Moon if you want to show him what it's like not being able to play anything :)

_EDIT_

another card a loam player might not like all that much is Ankh of Mishra :) Going turn 1, Mountain, discard Simian Spirit Guide, play Ankh of Mishra go :)

I picked up some Sulfuric Vortexes and put them in the sideboard. However, I couldn't find any Blood Moons. I'll have to wait until my next payday and ebay it up.

Thanks for the help, guys.