As the Kaeris Player in that last game, here are some thoughts from the other side of the table:
Originally, my crew was intending to go for search the ruins and either set up or show of force, due to the sheer amount of scheme markers available in a Kaeris crew. Upon seeing Parker, I realized that any scheme marker based plan was going to be extremely difficult. This forced me in to eliminate the leadership, and show of force.
Winning Initiative so often was an incredible stroke of luck, and likely contributed to my success, since it allowed me to move key pieces or disrupt Parker's plans.
In this strategy, the Firestarter was a great choice. I suspect many arcanist players will be bringing him in this strategy in the future, although wind gamin may be another option to consider.
Kaeris has been described as an underwhelming master to play as, and as someone with a fair amount of games with her, I simply don't see it. In addition to being an extremely mobile buffing and supporting piece, she offers options to shepherd and control the flow of battle, and disrupt opponents plans. Her new wave 5 flaming angel offers even more mobility, and can set people on fire. While not as powerful as Sandeep or Marcus, Kaeris certainly holds her own on the table.
Similarly, Parker is considered to be among the worst of the outcast masters, but I believe he is extremely solid. His upgrade cycling, and ability to replenish both cards and stones throughout the game is incredibly useful. When facing him, I can guess at what Parker will do during his activation, but it rarely aligns with what he actually does, simply due to the flexibility that he offers. His crew also effectively denies scheme marker based schemes, meaning that he can force players to select schemes they would not necessarily choose.
The loss of both gunsmiths so quickly is causing me to reconsider their inclusion in a Kaeris crew. In retrospect, Amina Naidu would have offered another control model and debuff model. Other options included rail workers, whose mobility issues are somewhat mitigated by grab and drop Kaeris, and performers, whose counter scheming abilities would have been wonderful.