Intrigue's a tough one to introduce to brand new players, but if they are familiar with the Base game then you've got lots of reasonable choices.
The rulebook recommends the following sets:
1) Victory Dance: Bridge, Duke, Great Hall, Harem, Ironworks, Masquerade, Nobles, Pawn, Scout, Upgrade
2) Secret Schemes: Conspirator, Harem, Ironworks, Pawn, Saboteur, Shanty Town, Steward, Swindler, Trading Post, Tribute
3) Best Wishes: Coppersmith, Courtyard, Masquerade, Scout, Shanty Town, Steward, Torturer, Trading Post, Upgrade, Wishing Well
It also recommends the following Intrigue+Base sets, for when you finally get to combine the cards:
4) Deconstruction: Bridge, Mining Village, Remodel, Saboteur, Secret Chamber, Spy, Swindler, Thief, Throne Room, Torturer
5) Hand Madness: Bureaucrat, Chancellor, Council Room, Courtyard, Mine, Militia, Minion, Nobles, Steward, Torturer
6) Underlings: Baron, Cellar, Festival, Library, Masquerade, Minion, Nobles, Pawn, Steward, Witch
1 seems solid; no brutal attacks, Masquerade is fun, and the only real AP card is Pawn.
2 also seems good; lots of interesting choices, good trashing options to compensate for the swinginess of Swindler, and no possibility of Saboteur pins.
3 would be a good set after a few games; there is a chance at a Torturer pin but it's fairly weak with only Shanty Town as support, and Masquerade can be a soft counter.
5 would be interesting…with only Nobles for +Actions and Council Room as the only +Buy, the engines are going to be harder to develop. This will be a slow game, but it won't necessarily be a crushing game vs. a heavy BM strat.