The Bum Brigade

Fun idea! You could add Mysterious Ravens and Stray Cats to the mix. Though they wouldn't work as well with Calling in Favors primary benefit, CiF will whiff less often. You could also swap Lab Assistants or Art Students for Medical Students if you wanted healing instead of clues or cards. (In fact, with Duke out of play, I think healing is probably the priority.) Or even a mix of four cards from those six. In any case, I think your concept makes more sense on Hard or Expert than on Easy or Standard since, with Duke and a static boost or two, you can test twice per turn at 5+ on almost any type of test. To prolong the jank, Scrounge for Supplies helps you recur any of those Level 0 allies and/or Calling in Favors.