Very Basic Decks (from .misc)

As a courtesy to Risser (Peter), I am copying these from .misc over
here, sans replies, as one big post. They're all 40-card decks with
17 land slots (16 for green due to mana buddies). He's trying to make
simple almost-iconic decks for each colour, without going into
complex things like stack tricks (although with blue, it's almost
unavoidable).

Erich

[Topic: Very Basic Decks]

I want to get my little ones interested in Magic, but I've found even
the starter decks are more complicated than they can handle. So, I've
tried to make 5 decks that are extremely basic, mainly creature based,
mostly vanilla, and those creatures that do have abilities, they can be
described in common language. So, I've skipped first strike and
trample and triggered abilities. Also, they have to be cards I
actually have.

Let me know if there are color-based abilities I really should have
included, or if there are more iconic or straightforward creatures
available. Thanks!

[Topic: Very Basic Decks: Black]

17 swamp
4 terror
4 unholy strength
4 drudge skeletons
4 scathe zombies
4 severed legion
1 hypnotic specter
1 nightmare
1 abyssal specter

Terror is removal and fear is evasion, especially since you are
unlikely to play against another black deck. The skeletons are iconic
and regeneration is relatively easy to explain. There's a little
flying in the higher eschelons. These guys introduce triggered
abilities, with the discarding specters, but again, I didn't think it'd
be too difficult to explain. The Nightmare also flies (fear would be
better, I think), and counting Swamps isn't too hard. Finally Unholy
Strength is a basic pumper. It was that or Shade's Form, but I didn't
like the color-switch.

[Topic: Very Basic Decks: Blue]

17 island
4 invisibility
4 boomerang
4 wandering ones
4 sage owl
4 cephalid looter
1 archivist
1 mahamoti djinn
1 air elemental

This was tough. I wasn't sure if boomerang or mana leak was better. I
ended with boomerang because you can use it on yourself if you are
feeling clever. Also, counters are kinda meanish. I put in some
fliers, with the owl being straigh-ahead library manipulation. The
looter is kind of tricky, but it shows the advantage of card draw, as
does the archivist.

[Topic: Very Basic Decks: Green]

16 forest
4 llanowar elves
4 canopy spider
4 blanchwood armor
4 trained armodon
4 giant growth
1 spined wurm
2 panther warriors
1 ancient silverback

I tried to keep a good mana curve. Green's abilities are mainly growth
and mana-speed. Trample is good, but I'm forgoing it because it's
tough to explain to Kindergarteners.

I've included an instant and an aura in each deck.

The elves can tap for mana, obviously.
I included Canopy Spider instead of Giant Spider because I wanted to
keep the mana costs low, but still be able to block fliers. The rest
are vanilla except Silverback, which can regenerate. But, I think it
can be explained pretty easily. "If you activate it, you don't die."
Blanchwood Armor is slightly complicated too, but it's not hard to
count Forests and add them to the P/T.

[Topic: Very Basic Decks: Red]

17 mountain
4 raging goblin
4 goblin piker
4 ridgeline rager
4 shock
4 granite grip
2 shivan dragon
1 rorix bladewing

Red has haste and pump-ability in the form of the rager and the shivan
dragon. It has the big fliers, which is fun, but they are big big big.
Shock is speedy removal and granite grip shows the power-pumping of
red, with the deficient toughness.

[Topic: Very Basic Decks: White]

17 plains
4 suntail hawk
4 glory seeker
4 pacifism
4 mending hands
4 skyhunter prowler
1 savannah lions
2 serra angel

White has more fliers, plus the speedy Lions. It has "removal" in the
form of pacifism and prevention is pretty straightforward, I think.
Also, once you've described tapping to attack, vigilance becomes easy.