Do you know what it means to be an outlaw? As the word implies, you are simply “out” of the “law”, meaning you don’t abide by the unfair restraints of society. You live outside of the law and fend for yourself, doing whatever it takes to survive. Many people may label you as a criminal, a troublemaker, a miscreant, and more, but, at the same time, while being outside the law clearly has its downsides, you can freely skate as you wish through the streets. You are able to access information outside of the system, occasionally working as a vigilante as well, getting revenge for those penalized and put down by the law.
The hard-boiled nature of Aru can’t be simply dismissed. A balls-to-the-walls (self-proclaimed) outlaw, Aru is a criminal mastermind, devising plans with her crew of Problem Solver 68 to make money no matter the source of the call. With Aru above, she deploys her powers as the big boss, acting as the finisher for the deck, dealing a point of damage on attack with her climax, and then, at the start of encore phase, if her opponent is reversed or missing, you may mill the bottom card of your opponent’s deck for a cost, and if that card is either a level one character or event, deal two damage to your opponent. Aru reminds you to never turn your back on her; even at her final moments, she’s still ready to deal one last shot.
Mutsuki, second-hand to Aru, is the living definition of troublemaker. Mutsuki’s mischievous combo performs an Operation Tornado effect, and then grants her an additional boost of power for the turn. She also has a rather unique effect where, after she attacks, you can maneuver the last piece of stock you gained from her attack (letting you move the corpse on the top or bottom of your stock).
BAV/W129-056C 羨望の眼差し ハルカ (center)
BAV/W129-031S-SR 便利屋68の自称社長 アル (right)
The cool-headed, cat-loving Kayoko is the brains of the operation and acts as a payoff for running eight door triggers. Kayoko is a level assist that gives a character cross-turn power and the ability to bottom deck their opponent upon reverse when you play a door climax. This is especially important when we consider Aru’s encore step combo ability. Since Kayoko can assign her ability to Aru, you can essentially guarantee that one of Aru’s attacks will be guaranteed, presuming your opponent has the specific board requirements for Aru’s conditions.
Haruka the devoted is the brainstorm of the deck with a very unique first ability. When you trigger a door climax, Haruka allows you to discard a copy of herself in order to give one of your characters a large chunk of cross-turn power until the end of your opponent’s next turn. By doing so, you can probably guarantee an attacker when the turn rolls around or potentially even save Aru for another round.
Together, this pairing does meet the requirements to bring out their big boss. Aru comes out early if you have both her fellow compatriots in play. As a reward, Aru provides you a modular option to either heal or filter your hand.
Despite their misadventures and inability to make ends meet, there is at least one thing going for Problem Solver 68: their camaraderie. Through thick and thin, the loyal members of this troupe will never abandon each other no matter how bad things get. This is best exemplified by the above cards which help you fetch members of their posse. Mutsuki is a unique card that lets you discard a character on play to search out a character with the same name as any character on your stage, a perfect card in the late game to grab additional copies of Aru and whatever you need. Haruka acting shy is an on-play Rize profile exclusively for members of Problem Solver 68 (便利屋68).
In terms of backup usage, this is where things can get a bit interesting. Considering the size of 1/0 Mutsuki cross-turn and that of the assists in the backrow, it is quite possible for our level one combo to survive during our opponent’s turn and make it back to our turn again, especially if given a bit of power support. To this end, Kayoko isn’t a bad option to consider for that purpose. 2/1 Problem Solver 68 together as a group is another interesting choice as it can pseudo act as a money counter in some situations (much weaker), but with the added soul, it’s more than likely that you’ll cancel.
Finally, to gather up our troops together, here are some final suggestions. 2/1 Mutsuki is an interesting stock shuffler card that tucks a card of your choice from your opponent’s waiting room to the bottom of their deck and then forces them to perform a stock shuffle. Kayoko staring plainly in confusion is a level zero reverser that can potentially go to stock if you mill a level two or higher card from her first effect. Aru staring in admiration is a Helmet profile that allows you also optionally level swap. Younger Aru looking angry is a memory Adachi profile with hand encore. Kayoko in a kimono is a standard Riko profile. Lastly, Mutsuki and Kayoko together is a on-reverse Koume profile.
Your contracts have been signed, and as such, Problem Solver 68 is now on the case. Aru, the big boss, heads the team as they rush forward into the sunset, ready to cause chaos and make some cash.