Monster train 2 is a deep roguelike deckbuilder that can feel overwhelming at first, especially if you are new to the genre or skipped the original game. With a few core concepts in mind, clan synergy, positioning, and deck discipline, you can start winning your early runs instead of getting crushed on the first few floors.
This guide focuses on fundamentals. No advanced math, no meta builds, just the basics you need to survive, learn, and actually finish runs.
Understand the basics: clans, the pyre, and the train
At the start of every run, you choose two clans: a primary clan and a secondary clan.
Your primary clan defines the run. It gives you your champion and most of your core cards. The secondary clan acts as support, adding utility cards and extra synergies as you progress.
At the top of the train sits the pyre. If the pyre is destroyed, the run ends immediately. As you unlock new pyres, you gain access to different passive bonuses that can completely change how a run plays.
Enemies always enter from the bottom floor and move upward. They fight through your units floor by floor until they either die or reach the pyre.
Beginner tip: early on, stick to one or two clans you enjoy, such as banished or pyreborne, and learn how they work before experimenting with complex combinations.
First big decision: champion and core gameplan
Each clan has a unique champion with multiple upgrade paths. Before the run really begins, you should already have a rough idea of what kind of deck you want to build.
Most early runs fall into one of three plans.
A unit focused build relies on strong tanks in front and heavy damage dealers behind, with minimal spells.
A spell focused build leans on champions or units that scale spell damage, supported by card draw and ember generation.
A hybrid build mixes a solid frontline with spells that clean up enemies or provide utility.
Try to commit to one clear plan per run. If your champion buffs units, build around units. If your champion scales spells, lean fully into spells. Mixing too many ideas usually leads to weak, unfocused decks.
Combat fundamentals: positioning across three floors
Positioning is one of the most important skills to learn in monster train 2.
Some basic rules that will carry you far.
Place a high health or armored tank at the front of a floor.
Put damage dealers and support units behind that tank.
Respect unit capacity. A few strong units are better than many weak ones.
Enemies start on the bottom floor and move up if they survive each combat round.
Use the bottom floor to kill or heavily weaken most enemies.
Use the middle floor as backup damage.
Treat the top floor as your final safety net before enemies reach the pyre.
Beginner tip: focus on building two strong floors early. The third floor should be reserved for emergency units or late support.
Deckbuilding 101: small, focused, and synergistic
After battles, you are often offered cards. One of the most common beginner mistakes is taking every card.
Good deckbuilding habits.
Only take cards that fit your current plan.
Skip cards that do not directly improve your strategy.
Remove weak starter cards as soon as possible using shops.
A smaller, focused deck lets you draw your strongest cards more often. In monster train 2, quality beats quantity almost every time.
Reading the map: choosing the right path
Between fights, you navigate a branching map with different nodes: unit upgrades, spell upgrades, card removal, events, and treasures.
Early priorities depend on your build.
If your deck relies on key units, prioritize unit upgrade shops.
If your build is spell centric, prioritize spell shops.
If your deck feels bloated, take card removal whenever possible.
You will also encounter optional trials that make battles harder in exchange for rewards. Before accepting one, be honest with yourself.
Do you have enough damage.
Can your frontline survive the modifier.
If you are still learning the game, finishing the run is more valuable than gambling on every trial.
Managing gold and upgrades
Gold is limited, and spending it wisely makes a huge difference.
A simple priority order works well.
Upgrade your main tank and primary damage unit first.
Upgrade one to three key spells that define your strategy.
Remove cards that actively weaken your deck’s consistency.
Avoid spreading upgrades across everything. A few extremely strong units and spells are far more effective than many average ones.
Difficulty, trials, and when to play safe
Monster train 2 introduces covenant levels to increase difficulty. Stay on covenant 0 until you are consistently finishing runs.
As you improve.
Raise covenant levels gradually.
Be selective with trials.
Treat trials as optional risk, not mandatory challenges.
Skipping a dangerous trial is often the correct decision, especially early on.
Common beginner mistakes to avoid
Filling every floor with weak units just because you can.
Ignoring enemy abilities and boss previews.
Taking draft cards that do not fit your build.
Refusing to delete useless starter cards.
Learning when to say no, to bad cards, bad upgrades, and bad trials, is one of the biggest skill jumps in monster train 2.
