So this is a project I wanted to engage in- To make a set of 10+ super-budget 60-card decks that are simple, relatively easy to play, relatively easy to understand, and bring across the fundamentals of how Magic Works.
The Idea being that you could easily build these deck for a low cost and use them as an easy introduction to how magic works, to teach a group of new players both how to play, and give them a sense of Why, a sense of what fun things they're getting into. These decks aren't gonna be particularly good, or even legal in any particular format if it stops me from including a card I think is good for the deck, but they should be fun and interesting without being too hard to get into.
This is the 2nd deck in this project: A balls-to-the-wall, 2-color agro deck. I'm debating if I should be less harsh and make it top out around 4 cmc, to make it so it doesn't overpower other decks, or if I should keep going ham with the 3cmc top-end.
Maindeck Cost ~$9 at time of writing (using the blue, average values offered by the site), plus ~$4 in the sideboard, because of those Glory-Bound Initiates (so if their price goes does from 50 cents, my math will be off), which still adds up to beneath my $15 goal.
So mostly this section is going to be notes on why I think these are good cards to learn from:
Searing Spear and Shock are classics, but also simple, easy-to-understand cards that any player needs to be able to see and recognize their different uses effectively. They're exactly the kinds of cards you should be learning how to play magic with.
Chain to The Rocks, on the other hand, is just freakin' sweet, and can more-or-less permanently remove any single enemy blocker you're worried about. Touch expensive, but worthwhile.
Half the creatures in this deck have bonuses or requirements to attack in groups- Boros Elite and Wojek Halberdier have Battalion abilities (and Firemane Avenger, but I'll cover that one in more detail below), while Jackal Familiar and Trusty Companion can't attack alone. This is a good little lesson for the aggro player, I think, to think of their creatures as attacking together being important. The cards lead them into a play pattern that's already correct anyways, and they'll just realize it faster.
It also does the same thing while encouraging interesting gameplay for the opponent at the same time- If the creatures on the board need to work as a team, that makes the opponent think "Oh, I should try and kill creatures so they can't hit Battalion.", which encourages them to be proactive. It's what they already should have been doing, but the creatures help lead the players to the right conclusions.
The other two agro creatures are Savannah Lions and Gore-House Chainwalker, which are both relatively simple, aggressive creatures. Chainwalker also has a useful effect going on for learning- it asks you to realize and commit to the fact that your own life total doesn't matter, you just need to put the gas on and attack. Unleash is a pretty useful learning mechanic in that way, because it asks the player not just to accept that they don't need to block, but to personally commit to it.
Side Note- Earlier versions of this deck considered both Mogg Flunkies, and Relentless Raptor, a pair of 3/3s for 2 cmc, but I decided to leave both of them out for power level reasons. This deck already might be stronger than the other ones I build, I'm not sure, and I was afraid that if I make the agro deck too strong, it just makes the whole setup not as fun or interesting. It's the same reason this deck isn't packing 4 copies of Lightning bolt.
I Love Thundersong Trumpeter here as a learning device, because it's Clearly not a card with the same purpose as the others, and asks the player to stop and figure out why it's in the deck, and what it can do to help you, and then rewards you for figuring it out with a really useful support effect that will win you games, and can be used both defensively and offensively. I even threw an extra one in the sideboard for players who really come to like it.
Firemane Avenger is in the deck to provide a little bit of splashy top-end, and also to encourage the realization that it's not actually that good in the deck, and you should replace it with something with lower cmc from the sideboard. But there are also more of them if you're for some reason trying to go Over the Top of an opponent.
War Flare is the card I added because every single anthem effect ever is really expensive, and I couldn't justify using up a third of my deck's $15 budget on one playset, so I went with the 'this turn' boost.
Manabase is meant to be a touch lacking, but also super-budget. I'll be doing the same for all of them.
Sideboard is actually supposed to be a sideboard to go along with the deck, so that new players get just a bit of deck customization, and an effort to improve their deck.
Goblin Diplomats is an interesting card I want new players to realize why it's useful, but is mostly there for comedic effect. Seriously, it's hilarious.
Glory-Bound Initiate is a little challenge easter-egg for players- It's almost certainly a card that should just be IN the deck, but I want players to try boarding it in for the lifelink and realize that for themselves, and then try to figure out what to cut for it. That's an important part of making a deck, and an interesting little trap I set up in there for them. Plus, while I like Exert and think it's a good and interesting mechanic, I feel like the variety of abilities in this deck might be a little high in the mainboard, so I'd rather have one come in only when the player is ready for it. And if they realize the interaction with War Flare, then that's a moment that makes you really learn to like this game.
The Defeat cards are sweet, simple hate that's fun and good to have around in sideboards (And Reasonably budget too, which is nice), plus two copies of all-purpose "I don't like this thing that isn't a creature" removal Revoke Essence, and some extra shocks in case those are turning out to be useful.