Monster Train 2 is the kind of roguelike deckbuilder where “randomly picking good cards” is not enough. You need a plan, a clan pairing that actually scales, and a deck that does one thing extremely well instead of five things badly.
This Monster Train 2 Best Builds Guide focuses on real, repeatable builds that can carry you through full runs and into higher Covenant levels, not meme screenshots. The goal is simple: give you a few archetypes you can aim for, understand why they work, and then adapt them to your own playstyle.
If you have not played much yet, start with our Monster train 2 beginner’s guide and Monster train 2 clans tier list 2025 before diving into these builds.
How this test builds guide works
This is not a full card database or every possible synergy. It is a curated set of builds that meet three criteria:
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Consistent: They do not require five rare relics to function.
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Scalable: They can handle long fights and high-HP bosses.
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Understandable: You can see the gameplan from turn one and build toward it.
Each build section includes:
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Core clan pairing and champion path.
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Key units and spells you should prioritize.
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Upgrade priorities and what to remove.
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How the build actually plays from early game to final boss.
S-Tier build: lazarus league / underlegion – reanimate funguy engine
This is a high-synergy build that abuses Underlegion’s funguy swarms and lazarus league’s reanimate/Unstable to turn your board into a self-sustaining engine of death and revives.
Core idea
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Underlegion fills your floors with cheap Funguys that grow over time.
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Lazarus provides tools to kill and reanimate units with buffs intact.
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The result is a board that keeps coming back and hitting harder every turn.
Champion & slan setup
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Primary Clan: Underlegion
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Secondary Clan: Lazarus league
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Champion: Bolete (Guillotine/Executioner style) – anything that scales off units dying/being played is ideal.
Upgrade path:
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Prioritize lines that reward frequent unit plays or deaths (Rally-like or execution mechanics). You want a champion that benefits from funguy spam rather than a lone carry.
Priority units
Look for:
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Cheap funguy units like green Recruit, Eager conscript, and other low-cost swarms.
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Any unit that gains stats when other units die or enter the floor.
You generally want:
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Frontline funguys with higher base HP.
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Backline funguys with damage scaling.
Key spells
From both clans, you want:
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Targeted kill / sac spells from lazarus to trigger reanimate and unstable.
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Buff or copy effects that let you stack good stats on key funguys.
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Draw or cycle tools so you see your swarms consistently.
Skip:
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Random, low-impact damage spells that do not advance your scaling.
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Overly expensive spells that clog early turns.
Artifacts & room
High-value pickups:
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Anything that triggers effects on unit death, resurrection, or entry.
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Relics that give global buffs to all units or boost death triggers.
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Rooms that support repeatable unit cycling (e.g., extra summon slots, death-trigger rooms).
How to play the puild
Early game:
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Take cheap Funguys over fancy single units.
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Stabilize one or two main floors with a mix of bodies and your champion.
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Start trimming out weak starter cards as soon as possible.
Mid game:
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Focus upgrades on HP and survivability for frontline Funguys.
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Improve at least one or two spells that help you kill and reanimate the right units at the right time.
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Avoid overfilling your deck; more Funguys is good, but too many vanilla copies with no scaling is not.
Boss fights:
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Your win condition is a floor that refuses to die.
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Use kill/reanimate loops to keep your key units coming back with stacked stats.
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If you played properly, bosses will melt to a wall of buffed mushroom people.
S-Tier Build: lazarus league / luna coven new moon spell cannon
If you prefer spells over unit swarms, Lazarus + Luna Coven gives you a scaling spell build that can delete waves and bosses from a safe distance.
Core Idea
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Luna Coven provides high-impact spells and magic-focused units.
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Lazarus brings Reanimate/Unstable and support tools that keep your key units alive and scaling.
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The end result is a board where units mostly exist to fuel your spells rather than do the killing themselves.
Champion & clan setup
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Primary clan: Luna coven
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Secondary clan: Lazarus league
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Champion path:
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Pick the spell-scaling line: anything that buffs spell damage, reduces costs, or increases draw is your priority.
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Priority units
You want:
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At least one sturdy frontline to buy time for spells.
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Backline mages that gain power from spell casts or provide magic-related buffs.
Avoid:
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Random melee units that do not contribute to spell scaling. They eat capacity and slow your gameplan.
Key spells
Core tools:
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High-damage nukes that scale with upgrades.
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Crowd-control or softening spells for early waves.
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Draw and ember fixes to make sure you can actually cast your important cards when it matters.
From Lazarus:
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Utility spells that help kill or reanimate utility units if you want death-trigger synergies.
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Any spell that multiplies or amplifies existing damage.
Artifacts & room
Look for:
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Relics that reduce spell costs or increase spell damage.
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Artifacts that reward playing many spells per turn (extra damage, frost-like effects, etc.).
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Rooms that add spell-focused bonuses or protect fragile casters.
How to play the build
Early game:
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Do not overcommit to expensive spells too early.
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Secure at least one reliable frontliner and one spell-scaling unit.
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Start upgrading 1–2 core spells instead of spreading upgrades across everything.
Mid game:
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Thin the deck aggressively.
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Your goal is to draw your scaling core every turn.
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Take relics that favor spell spam and draw engines.
Boss fights:
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You should reach a point where one turn of spell casting removes most of a boss’s HP bar.
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If that does not happen, you either diluted your deck too much or invested in the wrong spells.
A-Tier build: banished / pyreborne valor frontline with pyregel support
This is a more beginner-friendly build that still has a strong ceiling: Banished gives you solid frontliners and valor scaling, while pyreborne adds spell support and pyregel damage.youtube
Core idea
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Banished units stack Valor for attack/armor boosts as they move or get hit.
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Pyreborne brings reliable damage spells and utility through pyregel and dragon hoard effects.
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Together, you get a straightforward “buffed tank + clean-up spells” plan.
Champion & clan setup
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Primary Clan: Banished
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Secondary Clan: Pyreborne
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Champion path:
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Pick lines that give your champion tankiness and valor interaction. You want the frontliner that becomes a real wall over the course of the run.
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Priority units
Focus on:
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One main tank that will sit at the front of your main floor.
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One or two backliners with decent base damage or scaling.
Avoid:
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Overfilling every floor. capacity is limited; quality beats quantity.
Key spells
From pyreborne:
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Consistent damage spells to finish off enemies your frontline softens up.
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Utility spells that protect your main unit or manipulate waves.
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Any pyregel-related card that solves mid-wave threats.
Spell upgrade priority:
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+Damage or multi-hit on key nukes.
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Cost reduction to make sure you can cast everything on crucial turns.
Artifacts & room
Useful pickups:
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Relics that support valor triggers or frontline durability.
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Pyreborne damage/support relics that stabilize mid-game scaling.
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Rooms that increase floor capacity or add defensive effects if your frontline is fragile early.
How to play the build
Early game:
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Secure a good tank and start upgrading their survivability.
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Use spells mostly to stabilize waves and prevent chip damage to your pyre.
Mid game:
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Start trimming out weak starter spells and units.
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Commit to one main floor where your champion sits in front with a support unit behind.
Boss fights:
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This build wins by being hard to kill and slowly grinding bosses down.
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It is less explosive than lazarus or underlegion builds but more forgiving for new players.
Universal upgrade & deckbuilding tips for any build
No matter what you play, some rules are universal in monster train 2:
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Thin the deck:
Removing bad starters is as strong as adding good cards. -
Upgrade a few key pieces:
A single fully-upgraded carry unit and two perfect spells can win runs by themselves. -
Respect floor capacity:
Do not fill your floors with weak units just because you have them. -
Plan for the boss:
Ask yourself “how do I kill a huge HP bar?” every time you pick cards and relics.
If you want a deeper breakdown of clan strengths before choosing a build, check our Monster Train 2 Clans Tier List 2025.
