Monster Train 2 — Complete Beginner's Guide
Monster Train 2 (MT2) is a roguelike deckbuilder + vertical 3-floor tower defense hybrid. Choose a Main + Sub clan from 12 options, combine their card pools, and fight through 8 rings to defend the Pyre.
Core rules
| Element |
Detail |
| Goal |
Defend the top-floor Pyre across 8 rings |
| Deck |
Pick Main + Sub clan; cards pool from both |
| Covenant |
Difficulty ladder. Win = +1, max 25 |
| Card types |
Spell / Unit / Equipment / Room / Artifact |
| Ember |
3 per turn. All actions must fit within this budget |
Train structure
The train has 3 floors. Enemies enter from the bottom and fight upward to reach the Pyre.
| Floor |
Role |
| 1F (bottom) |
Sacrificial layer. Expendable units to stall enemies |
| 2F (middle) |
Combat continuation. Stable units and recovery tools |
| 3F (Pyre) |
Final defense. Concentrate your strongest units and Champion here |
All 12 Clans — Overview & Difficulty
MT2 features 6 returning clans from MT1 and 6 new clans.
Recommended for beginners
| Clan |
Difficulty |
Identity |
| Banished |
★★ |
Top pick for newcomers. Valor stacks buffs on attack and damage taken — easy to understand and powerful |
| Hellhorned |
★★ |
Aggressive damage. Stack Rage and crush floors early |
| Awoken |
★★ |
Spikes + Regen for reliable sustain. Low variance, forgiving of mistakes |
Intermediate clans
| Clan |
Difficulty |
Identity |
| Pyreborne |
★★★ |
Hoards gold via Dragon Hoard; inflicts Pyregel debuff that triggers on each hit |
| Lazarus League |
★★★ |
Brews potions to revive units; Unstable ability eliminates low-health enemies |
| Underlegion |
★★★ |
Flood the board with fast-multiplying Funguy troops to overwhelm through volume |
| Luna Coven |
★★★ |
Moon phase mechanics stack Conduit to amplify spells — pair with a tanky sub-clan |
Advanced clans
| Clan |
Difficulty |
Identity |
| Stygian Guard |
★★★★ |
Frost mages applying Frostbite debuffs; spells scale hard in late rings |
| Melting Remnant |
★★★★ |
Burnout (damage on death) creates technical, board-management gameplay |
| Umbra |
★★★★ |
Generate and consume Morsels to buff units; sacrifice-and-consumption loop |
| Wurmkin |
★★★★ |
Echoes generate powerful spell copies (returning in a future update) |
| Railforged |
★★★ |
DLC clan with mechanical-themed abilities and unique faction mechanics |
Deck building fundamentals
Deck size discipline
15–18 cards is the optimal range. More cards = more draws between your key pieces = more variance = more losses.
After each fight, ask: "Does this card directly improve my current plan?" Skip anything that doesn't.
The 3 deck archetypes
| Type |
Summary |
Best clans |
| Unit-focused |
Tanky frontline + heavy damage dealer — the two-pillar setup |
Hellhorned, Banished |
| Spell-focused |
Champion or specific units explode with repeated spells |
Stygian Guard, Luna Coven |
| Hybrid |
Solid frontline + support spells |
Awoken, Pyreborne |
Card priority rules
- Common cards set the foundation — only available for the first 2 rings; get the synergies right early
- Rare cards only if they fit — a generic Common that supports your plan beats an off-strategy Rare
- Concentrate upgrades on 1–3 key cards rather than spreading thin across everything
Artifact priority
In shops, prioritize draw acceleration, healing, and synergy-enablers over flat attack/damage boosts.
Ember management basics
| Rule |
Detail |
| Refill per turn |
3 Ember at turn start (base) |
| No carry-over |
Unused Ember is lost at end of turn |
| 0-cost cards |
Free cards extend your combo width significantly |
| Champion |
Champion abilities may cost Ember — factor them into your plan |
Covenant progression guide
| Covenant |
Recommended context |
| 0 |
First-time play. Run 5–10 times to learn clan synergies |
| 1–5 |
Once basics click. Target stable Cov 5 clears first |
| 6–10 |
Core progression. Cov 10 is the practical midgame target |
| 11–25 |
Endgame. Requires build-specific mastery and deep game knowledge |
Early run checklist
- Take champion upgrades immediately — they're late-game leverage you can't skip
- Read boss telegraphs and adjust floor layout between fights accordingly
- Upgrade the Pyre — the Pyre fights; upgrade its HP and attack at every opportunity
- Aim for Lifemother's Pyre — card duplication is one of MT2's strongest strategies
- Recheck unit placement each fight — optimal floors change based on the incoming boss
Practical path to a first win
- Banished at Cov 0 × 5 runs — internalize Valor buff stacking
- Hellhorned at Cov 0 × 3 runs — learn aggro limits and Ember planning
- Awoken at Cov 0 — get the clear — master defensive play and Spike reflection
- Pick a favorite and climb Cov 1–5
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