Monster Train 2 Clan Tier List: The Ultimate Guide to Dominating Hell's Railway
Tired of getting steamrolled on higher Covenant ranks? The clan you choose can make or break your entire run in Monster Train 2. After 50+ hours of testing every faction combination, here's the definitive ranking that'll transform you from train wreck to unstoppable hellish locomotive.
S-TIER (Dominate Everything)
- Luna Coven - Moon magic masters with unlimited scaling
- Lazarus League - Mad scientists who make death meaningless
A-TIER (Powerful & Reliable)
- Melting Remnant - The burnout veterans who refuse to stay dead
- Pyreborne - Chemical warfare specialists with explosive combos
B-TIER (Solid with Strategy)
- Underlegion - Swarm tacticians who overwhelm with numbers
- Banished - Fallen angels with ember manipulation tricks
C-TIER (Needs Love)
- Umbra - Frost mages who got left in the cold
- Hellhorned - Once-mighty clan struggling to find identity
S-TIER: The Unstoppable Forces
Luna Coven - "The Moon Magic Masters"
Why S-Tier?
The Luna Coven doesn't just win games—they break them. Their dual mechanics of Moon Phases and Conduit stacks create the most explosive scaling potential in Monster Train 2.
The Core Strategy:
Focus on Conduit-generating cards early, then ride the moon phases to victory. Even mediocre draws become powerhouses with proper phase timing. The moon changes every turn, and your cards get stronger depending on the current phase—it's like having a built-in engine that never stops revving.
Key Cards to Prioritize:
- Moonbeam - Cheap Conduit generator
- Lunar Blessing - Massive damage during favorable phases
- Phase Walker - Your bread-and-butter unit
Best Secondary Synergies:
- Melting Remnant - Provides early game stability while you scale
- Banished - Ember manipulation helps cast expensive lunar spells
Pro Tips:
- Stack Conduits on your champion ASAP—they multiply exponentially
- Save high-impact spells for favorable moon phases
- Don't panic during bad phases; your turn is coming
The Weakness: Vulnerable in early floors before scaling kicks in. One bad RNG streak during unfavorable moon phases can end promising runs.
Lazarus League - "The Mad Scientists"
Why S-Tier?
Death is just a minor inconvenience for the Lazarus League. Their Reanimate mechanic lets you bring back units instantly, keeping all their buffs—and they can even overcrowd rooms beyond normal limits.
The Strategy:
Let your units die, then bring them back stronger. It sounds backwards, but it's game-breaking when mastered. Each death-and-revival cycle makes your army more powerful, and overcrowding lets you field impossible unit compositions.
Key Cards to Prioritize:
- Reanimator - Your core engine card
- Body Parts - Cheap fodder that becomes terrifying when buffed and revived
- Dr. Frankenstein (Champion) - Gets stronger every time units are reanimated
Best Secondary Synergies:
- Underlegion - More bodies to reanimate means more value
- Hellhorned - Rage effects stack beautifully on revived units
Common Mistakes:
- Hoarding units instead of letting them die strategically
- Not planning your revivals around room capacity
- Forgetting that buffs persist through death
The Weakness: Requires careful resource management and forward planning. New players often struggle with the counterintuitive "let them die" strategy.
A-TIER: The Reliable Powerhouses
Melting Remnant - "Death is Just the Beginning"
The Veteran's Choice: If Luna Coven is the flashy sports car, Melting Remnant is the reliable truck that always gets you there. Their Burnout + Reform cycle creates an endless army that grows stronger with each death.
Why A-Tier (Not S-Tier)?
Requires perfect timing and macro management. One mistake in your burnout cycle can end your run, and they struggle against certain enemy types that punish unit spam.
The Core Strategy:
Flood the board with cheap Burnout units, let them die gloriously, then Reform them back stronger. Paraffin Thug remains one of the strongest economic engines in the game, earning massive gold while dealing damage.
Key Cards:
- Dreg - Your free 0-cost army foundation
- Paraffin Thug - Earns 30 gold per enemy kill
- Rector Flicker (Champion) - Gets stronger every time a unit dies
Secondary Synergies:
- Luna Coven - Conduit stacks work beautifully on reformed units
- Banished - Ember generation helps cast expensive reform spells
Pro Tips:
- Always prioritize Hallowed Drippings to apply Burnout
- Plan your reform timing around enemy waves
- Don't over-invest in non-Burnout units early
Pyreborne - "Chemical Warfare Specialists"
The Combo Masters: Pyreborne excels at creating devastating chain reactions. Their Potion mechanics combined with Unstable effects make them perfect for players who love planning elaborate combos.
The Strategy:
Set up chemical reactions that cascade across multiple floors. A well-positioned Plague Doctor behind a tank can melt entire waves while your potions create secondary explosions.
Key Cards:
- Plague Doctor - Your damage-dealing centerpiece
- Volatile Mixture - Explosive combo starter
- Chemical Burns - Persistent damage over time
Why A-Tier?
Incredible power ceiling when piloted correctly, but requires deep game knowledge to execute consistently. Less forgiving than S-tier clans.
B-TIER: Solid with Strategy
Underlegion - "The Swarm Masters"
The Numbers Game: Underlegion overwhelms enemies with sheer volume. Their Propagate mechanic lets Funguy units duplicate themselves or spread effects when triggered.
The Strategy:
Start slow, build your fungal empire, then steamroll with overwhelming numbers. Spells and relics that enhance swarming tactics are your best friends.
Why B-Tier?
Takes time to get momentum, and struggles against AoE-heavy enemy compositions. Powerful when it works, but inconsistent at higher Covenant ranks.
Key Cards:
- Funguy - Your core duplicating unit
- Spore Spread - Accelerates your swarm growth
- Mushroom Kingdom - Buffs all your fungi
Banished - "Fallen Angels with Tricks"
The Ember Manipulators: Banished specializes in ember tricks and burst damage. They can pull off incredible plays when their synergies align.
Why B-Tier?
Fallen from their former glory. Their Morsel-based gimmick feels slow and clunky compared to newer clans. Ember Drain combos can still work, but require perfect setup.
The Strategy:
Focus on ember generation and manipulation to fuel powerful late-game plays. Stack damage modifiers and unleash devastating burst turns.
Current Issues:
The "eat to grow" Morsel mechanic needs a rework to feel viable in the current meta. They're playable but require significantly more effort than higher-tier clans.
C-TIER: Needs Developer Love
Umbra - "The Forgotten Frost Mages"
The Former Kings: Once top-tier spellcasters, Umbra has been outpaced by power creep. They still have useful frost control and burst damage, but Luna Coven does everything better.
Current State: Best used for early-run spell spam with backup from a tankier clan. Their frost mechanics can buy time, but they lack the scaling needed for higher Covenant ranks.
Hot Takes & Controversial Rankings
Why Luna Coven Beats Melting Remnant (And Why Veterans Disagree)
Many Monster Train 1 veterans swear by Melting Remnant's consistency, but Luna Coven's ceiling is simply higher. Yes, Remnant is more forgiving, but in a game about pushing Covenant limits, raw power trumps safety.
The Underlegion Trap: Why Swarm Strategies Fail at High Covenant
Swarm strategies look impressive when you flood the board, but high-Covenant enemies punish unit spam with AoE damage and debuffs. Numbers mean nothing if they all die to one enemy spell.
Banished Isn't Bad—You're Just Playing Them Wrong
The hate for Banished is overblown. They're not top-tier, but their ember manipulation creates unique play patterns that can catch enemies off-guard. The problem is most players try to force old strategies instead of adapting to their new identity.
