TLDR: Must pull if you use Doresain, Uvhash, or Sorel. Pull 1 Pickman if you're even considering using any Caro DPS. Consider pulling even if you have no plans to play Caro DPS, as he's still generically good as a support for any Exalt based DPS (treat Embryos as Aliemus batteries). Dupes are good but Caro standard units are a mixed bag, so consider duping through the monthly shop if you're not willing to commit pulls into the Caro banner. E2 is a great stopping point for low investment, E3 is a noticeable power spike, and OE is very good but not needed at all.
After all these months, Thais can finally rest from having to carry the entirety of Caro on her back. Pickman is our second Caro support and makes a solid case for outright replacing Thais on some teams thanks to his powerful combination of buffs and utility. First and most importantly, Pickman has Embryo Fusion generation, finally burying what little relevancy Leigh had and giving Caro teams the ability to actually build two teams for DTide without one of them feeling scuffed. Second, Pickman has the somewhat unique ability of being able to buff other character's Exalts with his own, allowing Exalt based DPS to deal even more damage. If it wasn't obvious enough, Pickman is very clearly meant to be Doresain's specific support; a job he does flawlessly, outright fixing some of Doresain's flaws and letting him deal obscene damage. However, these traits also let him perfectly support Uvhash and Sorel, two Caro DPS who ALSO appreciate his buffs and Embryo Fusion gain. GHelot would certainly prefer Thais as her damage is mostly Command Card based but her Exalt can still deal quite a bit of DMG as well. But don't underestimate his utility outside of supporting Caro DPS; other characters like 24, Lotan, OE Kathigu-Ra, or even Aurita to a lesser extent can all appreciate a damage boost to their Exalts. After Exalting, Pickman can also create 3 cards (you pick 1) with a random Orison to add to your hand, which can potentially high roll into a particularly strong card (it also has Retain, which you can't really complain about). Pickman can also deal a decent amount of damage himself with his Chromaphage card thanks to its multihit and guaranteed Crit. Finally, there's also a bit of RNG from his Lifelike Rendition card, which can give him a variety of useful Relics for a turn. The usefulness of these is a bit hard to quantify in a SYP, but you'll usually get at least 1 relevant Relic for the turn.
Pickman is a rare instance of an Arc 2 character that ISN'T reliant on dupes to do his job. As usual, E2 is a good stopping point if you're a low spender, with E3 being a significant power spike with the extremely rare ability of letting you Exalt twice a turn. OverExalt is extremely powerful, giving him a stack of Fantasia (used to pick all options when he Discovers) and letting him create 2 cards for you to add. However, none of these are necessary to do his main job: he makes Embryos, he buffs Exalt DMG/Shield/Healing, and he can create temporary cards/relics for you.
With everything he can do, I highly recommend pulling at least 1 Pickman as his kit should remain relevant far into the future. Caro is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to its Standard offerings; Uvhash and Faint are quite good, but Helot, Agrippa, and Leigh are past their prime. It may be to your benefit to get his dupes from Prototype Horizon's in the shop rather than pulling on his banner and potentially getting a ton of (mostly) awful character dupes.
Teammate Options
- The obvious teammate option. Doresain benefits from literally everything Pickman offers and then some. Since Doresain doesn't use much Arithmetica himself, Pickman can play his Command Cards fairly freely. On the other hand, devouring with Pickman's Exalt can make Doresain's somewhat expensive Dirge Command Card actually playable for the turn.
- Similar benefits as with Doresain. Uvhash teams have a pretty flexible 4th slot so Pickman is a potential option (probably better than Clementine at least).
- Sorel greatly appreciates everything that Pickman offers. Any additional form of Embryo Fusion greatly aids her Exalt damage output. However, she does still prefer Thais due to her reliance on Aliemus, something Pickman isn't really capable of supporting. Of course, you could run both Pickman and Thais.
- While GHelot would prefer using Thais, Pickman is a usable alternative. The possibility of creating additional copies of Crimson Shackles can make for some very damaging turns, and GHelot appreciates being able to potentially spam out more Exalts thanks to Pickman's sig/event wheel (which he uses better than Thais).
- Caro 24 is a bit underappreciated in comparison to Poison Aequor or Chaos DPS, but her DMG and Bleed application from her Exalt is pretty damn good. With Pickman, she can further increase that damage; plus, her cards are very good Discover options if they happen to show up.
- Moreso noticeable if Kathigu-Ra has OE, as her Exalt isn't super impressive without it. With it she's effectively an even more nuclear Uvhash, dealing massive AOE damage while also boosting her towards her goal of a one shotting Hypernova. Despite not being a Caro DPS you can effectively treat her like one by feeding her Embryos manually, giving her the Aliemus she needs to use her Exalt frequently.
- Why not? Why not have 2 Embryo Fusion batteries on the same team? Not advised for DTide as you'd want to divvy your supports up across the 5-10 stages but for Story or Event content there are no such restrictions. Both of them can make any DPS feel like a god with the sheer amount of Aliemus, STR gain, and random utility they provide. Thais can also make Pickman a powerful DPS in his own right by copying Chromaphage; combined with the STR steal and very few enemies will even do damage that turn.
- While Castor doesn't necessarily benefit as much as other awakeners from Pickman's Exalt, any character that can proc Corrosion consistently while also buffing STR is a usable option for him. Pickman's Chromaphage synergizes well with Corrosion like how Jenkin's multihits synergize with it. In addition, Castor's passive shield gain can help offset Caro's natural health draining tendencies. Not Castor's best teammate option, but still a usable option.
- Hameln isn't a bad option to just toss into a Pickman team. Hameln can even apply his Exalt's Rondino effect to Chromaphage (on top of his Rouse double effect) to make it not only deal ridiculous amounts of DMG but also effectively blank a turn with the amount of STR steal you'll do. They both also provide a good amount of STR gain. If you're running a Caro/Chaos team Hameln is a definite recommendation.
Sample Teams
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Lotan Pickman Ramona Ogier: For absolutely new players this is probably your best team option.
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Uvhash Pickman Faint Aigis: F2P pure Caro team. New players can potentially build this team from pulling on Pickman's banner. Note that the ceiling of this particular team isn't great, but it's serviceable for clearing early-mid story and Alert 1-2 D-Tides.
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Doresain Pickman Salvador Hameln: Limited awakener team for bossing. Thais can replace either Salv or Hameln outside of DTide (you'd want to put her on a different team to cover more stages).
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Pickman Thais Hameln Salvador: If you want to try and make Pickman a carry, this is a surprisingly effective option. Thais + Hameln is a tried and true combo and Pickman's Chromaphage card can deal an obscene amount of damage (on top of ever increasing amounts of damage via its Temp STR steal).
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Uvhash Pickman Thais Winkle: Achievable F2P team for Astral Reign stages. Overexalt Uvhash + E3 Winkle is highly recommended.
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24 Pickman Hameln Salvador: If you lack Caro DPS options, Caro 24 is a usable option. Manually consume Embryos to feed 24's Exalt spam. 24 can also be replaced with Kathigu-Ra for a similar playstyle.
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Castor Pickman Thais Horla: Pickman functions as more of a dual DPS here alongside Castor, using Chromaphage to proc Corrosion. Probably better to use Jenkin for this role.
