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It started as a way to cash in on badly conceived speculation and became a
legend. Turbo Hestiation came about from the mind of Jon Saso, a Cupertino card store
owner. Having picked Hesitation as his choice for the most undervalued card in the
Stronghold set, one night he and partner in crime Jeff Simoneau set out to create demand
for the card. It seemed simple enough. With sub tournament-worthy cards like Dream
Halls, Ancestral Memories and Mana Severance having found their way into decks from
coast to coast, who was to say that Hesitation isn’t the next slack power card? There was
a critical flaw in their plan, however. Hesitation just isn’t strong. The cards that
combine with it aren’t that good. They would have to be more devious to get their card
thrust into the limelight. A scheme had to be hatched. The Turbo Hesitation frenzy began in Jon Saso’s store, with he and Jeff telling people Turbo Hesitation was the deck to be beaten. It didn’t start in earnest until Jeff and Jon took the story of the powerful Turbo Hesitation to the internet and IRC Magic channels, boasting of a near undefeated record against virtually all decks in the field and a shoo-in to win the Northern California Regionals. Soon, people were messaging and mailing the pair desperate for the decklist of this undefeatable juggernaut. The pair promised the decklists under one very clever condition. They would provide the deck on a date close Regionals (supposedly to prevent ‘the Dojo effect’) in exchange for the respondents own Regionals worthy decks. After being told about the deck’s secret, I did my best to disseminate the legend of this sure winner, and soon was buried in requests for decklists through e-mail and when I went to practice for Regionals. Having been sworn to secrecy, I promised not to give away the deck, but collected loads of decks from some of the best players in my area and across the country. Highlighted in my most recent article found on my web page, after it posted for a brief time on the Dojo, I was getting almost 20 requests a day for the deck, it’s components, tips on how to play it, and how it stacked up against the other decks. As the 1997 Northern California Regional Champion, people in the bay area were mailing and calling me as well, offering everything from their top decks to illicit drugs for a decklist. Still, I held out and for a very good reason. There was no Turbo Hesitation. It was all a hoax, made up, bogus. The deck didn’t exist. However, it was too late to stop the madness. I’ve had people show me their copies of Turbo Hesitation and ask me if it was similar to the mythical Simoneau/Saso Uberdeck. I’ve received reports from people telling me they’ve played Turbo Hesitation in their Regionals. There is a Turbo Hesitation deck posted to the Magic Dojo. Turbo Hesitation was an unqualified success. We’ve received loads of decks, helping each of us not to qualify for nationals , and we’ve all had more fun than I thought possible. I want to personally thank all those who sent decks, and weren’t too upset to find out it was a hoax. I won’t embarrass any of you by mentioning your names here. If there were a Turbo Hesitation deck, a good model is listed below. Good luck in future deckbuilding endeavors. Christian Pantages For more articles like this and a comprehensive list of Magic cards for sale from Alpha through Stronghold, go to my web page at //www.thegoodson.com TURBO HESITATION 4 Hesitation 4 Counterspell 2 Dissipate 4 Wall of Blossoms 4 Silver Wyvern 4 Tradewind Rider 3 Uktabi Orangatang 3 Legacy’s Allure 3 Eldamadri’s Vineyard 4 Impulse 3 Emessi Tome 38 spells 23 lands 4 Stalking Stones 4 Reflecting Pool 4 Skyshroud Forest 4 Forests 7 Islands Sideboard: 4 Blue Elemental Blast 4 Chill 3 Null Rod 3 Propaganda 2 Torture Chamber |