In CBM, my favorite budget thugs for Jomon are actually the Ujigami and the Kenzoku and not the Ghost General (though the ghost general is still awesome). Reasoning is:
- Lower or equal conjuration to summon, generally equal gem price, and all three are Etheral out of the box.
- Much easier to summon: They are 1S1E and 1E1S respectively. Much easier to get than 2D for Jomon.
- Both are Blessed unlike the Ghost General.
- The Ujigami has a Priest level so it can bless itself and it's Kenzoku partner (I usually pair them). It also has Standard: Less useful for raiding but it's there.
- The Kenzoku has Awe on top of everything.
- Neither are undeads, so fewer easy counters.
Of course, you could add a ghost general to that pair to have full Etheral + Awe + Fear, but a trio of cheap thugs isn't that cheap anymore
