railtools.
Monster Train 2/Tier list

Monster Train 2 Tier List

Editorial ranking Rankings revised July 2026 Patch 2.2.1

12 clans and 17 champions ranked, with 7 champions still unranked. Compare starting consistency, scaling and setup demands, then check the champion paths and ally choices that change each pick.

Best clans and champions

Underlegion and Melting Remnant lead this editorial clan ranking. The full reasoning follows.

S-tier clans Underlegion Melting Remnant
S-tier champions
FelOrechiRector FlickerBolete the Guillotine

Clan rankings

12 clans · Standalone strength

SMeta leaders

Underlegion

Endless Fun Guy swarms out-tempo everything; the most consistent army plan in the game.

Melting Remnant

Burnout units die and Reform for endless value — the premier cycling engine.

AStrong picks

Luna Coven

Mooncycle control is execution-heavy but among the highest ceilings when piloted well.

Railforged

Forge and crafted equipment snowball hard; several sources argue it belongs in S.

Lazarus League

Unstable stacking and grafted experiments scale brutally, especially paired with aggro clans.

Banished

Valor from Shifts is straightforward, fast and reliable from Covenant 0 to 10.

BSolid foundations

Pyreborne

Dragon's Hoard turns gold into stats — strong, but slower to come online than the S tier.

Hellhorned

Rage and imps remain dependable aggro, simply outshone by the newer engines.

Wurmkin

Egg/Hatch payoffs are middling alone but spike hard in the right ally pairing.

CNeeds a plan

Awoken

Regen, Spikes and healing stall well but can struggle to close out high Covenant fights.

Stygian Guard

Incant chip damage and Frostbite utility lack a decisive punch on their own.

DHigh friction

Umbra

The Morsel-and-Gorge engine needs too much setup; consistently ranked bottom post-DLC.

Champion rankings

Explore all upgrade paths →
SMeta leaders

Fel

Banished

Valor scaling turns Fel into a one-unit win condition; a fixture at the top of polls.

Orechi

Lazarus League

Unstable/mix scaling with Test Subjects — poll-topping, though some call it clan-carried.

Rector Flicker

Melting Remnant

Burnout looping prints value every single turn; the engine Melting Remnant wants.

Bolete the Guillotine

Underlegion

An army in a single card slot — headlines most community rankings.

AStrong picks

Madame Lionsmane

Underlegion

Incant-driven Shroom spawning floods floors with bodies.

Herzal

Railforged

Pyrespeak floor-targeting plus Herzal's Horde economy — the stronger Railforged pick.

Heph

Railforged

Scrap Metal and multi-equip paths reward tight play with huge stat lines.

BSolid foundations

Hornbreaker Prince

Hellhorned

Reliable Rage/Armor beatstick; strong floors, rarely spectacular.

Lady Gilda

Pyreborne

Deal-making and gold synergies are solid but pairing-dependent.

Lord Fenix

Pyreborne

Dragon/egg lines work, yet develop slower than the top engines.

Ekka

Luna Coven

Potent with dedicated Mooncycle support, situational without it.

Spine Chief

Wurmkin

Shard and Hatch scaling that community feedback calls "gods when paired".

Wyldenten

Awoken

Thorny defensive growth; wins slowly when the meta wants speed.

CNeeds a plan

Tethys Titansbane

Stygian Guard

Incant utility without the closing power of the A-tier casters.

Penumbra

Umbra

Morsel dependence makes every run a setup puzzle.

Primordium

Umbra

Gorge scaling arrives too late against high-Covenant clocks.

DHigh friction

Talos

Banished

High-setup, low-consistency paths — near-universally ranked last (with a few loyal defenders).

Still an open question

These champions need more consistent post-DLC community rankings before an honest placement. This is not a judgement of power.

ArduhnBaron GraelEchowrightLittle FadeShardtail QueenSolgard the MartyrThe Sentient

How to use this tier list for your next run

Treat S tier as a shortlist, then check the actual opening path. A champion's rank does not make all three paths interchangeable. The champion reference links every tier's stats and effects, while the clan combo guide explains how an ally changes the plan.

Does a low rank mean a clan cannot win?

No. These placements describe an editorial view of consistency and setup, not a ban on a clan or a prediction of your win rate. Community reports disagree substantially, especially when they compare a random start with a chosen champion, ally and Pyre Heart. Use the Covenant modifiers and Pyre effects to judge the run you are actually playing.

Where are cards, artifacts and Souls ranked?

Use the card draft priorities for what to add to a deck, the artifact tier list for relic choices, and the Soul Savior tier list for Souls. Those answer different decisions from selecting a clan or champion.

How this list is made

RailTools' placements are editorial judgements informed by published rankings and player reports, not an official ranking or a statistical aggregation. The ranking snapshot is dated July 2026 and uses patch 2.2.1 references. Source discussions use different champions, modes and levels of experience, so their tier labels are not directly comparable.

  • Railforged sits in A here, but several high-Covenant players argue it is outright S once the Forge engine is understood.
  • Wurmkin rates B alone yet is described as “gods when paired” with the right ally clan — its pairing ceiling is S-worthy.
  • Orechi is polarizing: poll-topping overall, while some insist Lazarus League itself does the carrying.

The disagreement is material: the February 2026 Steam discussion places the same clans across several different tiers. Earlier champion reports also disagree on Primordium and Madame Lionsmane. We keep unresolved entries unranked and link the underlying discussions so you can assess that uncertainty.