Personally, my default choices for every warframe that doesn't have particular needs are Guardian and Energize - although if i didn't have access to Energize, i'd probably go for Molt Augmented. Arcane Reaper is also a great substitute for Guardian, as it can be farmed in Duviri. Magus Repair is also very useful, and i've personally come to rely on it a lot.
That said, prioritize filling your mod slots and maxing your mods. They have a much larger influence than arcanes when facturing time spent to acquire them.
Happened to me, first time so i had no idea how to quantify Kullervo's strenght too. I only realized when i saw Undercroft enemies being lv140+ lol