There is no one clan that is best for every Monster Train 2 player. For a first run, prioritize a plan you can understand and repeat; for high Covenant, prioritize reliable early survival, scaling, and answers to the boss matchup. RailTools’ July 2026 ranking puts Underlegion and Melting Remnant in S tier, but that is a strategy-site assessment—not an official ranking or a guarantee of easier wins. The practical choice depends on whether you want to learn the game or push its hardest recorded difficulty.
At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underlegion | Considering a current top-tier candidate for a high-Covenant run | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: S tier | Oct 2026 |
| Melting Remnant | Considering a current top-tier candidate for a high-Covenant run | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: S tier | Oct 2026 |
| Luna Coven | Comparing current A-tier options | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: A tier | Oct 2026 |
| Railforged | Comparing current A-tier options; not the clearest choice if early-run stability is your main concern | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: A tier | Oct 2026 |
| Lazarus League | Comparing current A-tier options | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: A tier | Oct 2026 |
| Banished | Comparing current A-tier options | RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking: A tier | Oct 2026 |
The table reflects a strategy-site tier signal, not a measured win-rate order. The available comparison identifies six ranked clans by name; it does not give enough clan-by-clan detail to make a fair pick-by-pick ranking of all 12 playable clans.
What is the best clan in Monster Train 2?
The best clan depends on your goal. Underlegion and Melting Remnant are the strongest starting points if you want to investigate the current top-tier candidates, while a beginner should choose according to clarity and consistency rather than tier alone.
RailTools’ July 2026 ranking places Underlegion and Melting Remnant in S tier, with Luna Coven, Railforged, Lazarus League, and Banished in A tier. Treat those grades as an editorial judgment. They are not developer rankings, and they do not establish that one clan wins more often for every player or Covenant level.
The useful distinction is between accessibility and ceiling. A clan may have a powerful late-run plan or broad pairing potential but still ask for careful sequencing, favorable drafts, or a stable opening. Conversely, a plan that is easy to read can teach the game well without being weak. For your own choice, ask whether you are trying to understand the systems or maximize your odds at a high difficulty.
Which Monster Train 2 clan is easiest for beginners?
The available clan comparisons do not establish a single easiest clan by name. A reliable beginner route is to choose a primary clan whose basic plan is easy for you to recognize, keep it primary for several runs, and change only the allied clan while you learn.
Learn one variable at a time
Monster Train 2 lets you select a primary clan and an allied clan. The primary clan supplies your champion, while both clans influence the cards and strategic tools available during the run. Keeping the primary fixed gives you a consistent champion and core pool to learn; changing the ally lets you see how a different set of tools affects that plan without changing every part of the run at once.
When comparing possible primaries, look for a plan whose jobs are apparent: what helps you survive the opening, what grows strong enough to handle later enemies, and what protects against incoming damage. A clan that asks you to solve all three questions at once—or depends on a narrow sequence of discoveries—can be difficult to learn even if experienced players rate it highly.
Use primary selection deliberately for progression
RailTools’ unlock guide says the primary clan receives 100% of score as XP and the allied clan receives 50%. If progression is part of your goal, putting an underleveled clan in the primary slot gives it the larger share. That does not make it the best tactical choice for every run, but it is a reason to keep a developing clan primary while rotating allies around it.
Is Underlegion better than Melting Remnant?
RailTools places both clans in S tier, so its ranking does not declare one superior to the other. Without a supported head-to-head win-rate comparison or more detailed clan-specific matchup data, the sensible choice is the one whose plan fits your current run goal and whose early turns you can execute consistently.
The broad interpretation of the top tier is that these clans may offer strong engines, broad pairing potential, or powerful late-run ceilings. That description applies to the group-level signal; it does not establish which advantage belongs to either clan individually. Do not read the shared S tier as proof that their play patterns, difficulty, or best allied clans are interchangeable.
For a beginner, compare how clearly each clan’s basic plan answers the opening fights before committing to a long learning streak. For a high-Covenant run, compare the actual draft and matchup in front of you: does the plan come online early enough, scale without one exact rare card, and retain room for the units and other cards it needs? Those questions are more useful than treating a shared letter grade as a verdict.
What clans are best for high Covenant?
Underlegion and Melting Remnant are the highest-ranked candidates in RailTools’ July 2026 editorial list, but high-Covenant consistency is not established by tier placement alone. Use Covenant 10 as the high-difficulty reference point here: RailTools describes it as the highest rank in its recorded game data, with each rank adding another modifier.
That description comes from a current guide/database representation, not an independently verified official rules statement. The point of using Covenant 10 is to focus the comparison on runs where weak openings, incomplete scaling, and matchup gaps are more likely to matter—not to claim that a tier ranking proves a clan’s clear rate there.
Check the whole run plan, not just its late-game ceiling
- Opening survival: Ask whether the clan can manage early waves before its engine is fully assembled. A strong late-run idea is not enough if the deck cannot reach it reliably.
- Repeatable scaling: Look for a route from surviving early fights to defeating late bosses that does not depend on one exact rare discovery.
- Matchup coverage: Consider the specific boss and Seraph matchup. A setup can be strong in general yet vulnerable to an opponent that punishes its time to build or exposes a defensive gap.
- Floor-space pressure: Account for the space your units need and how Room cards or Equipment compete with or support the layout. A plan that works on paper may be harder to arrange when a floor fills.
- Draft recovery: Check whether the clan can adapt when the cards offered are imperfect. A strategy that only works with a narrow set of pieces carries more risk at high difficulty.
Why Railforged needs a qualified recommendation
Railforged illustrates the difference between a compelling ceiling and an easy route to a clear. PC Gamer describes its identity as mechanical and smelting-oriented, while also reporting difficulty surviving the early game in standard Covenant 10 runs. That account is a useful caution, not proof that every player or pairing will struggle: a high-tier label and a difficult opening can both be true.
If your immediate goal is consistent high-Covenant clears, treat that early-survival concern as a reason to inspect the opening plan carefully before choosing Railforged—not as a reason to dismiss it outright. The relevant question is whether the run can bridge its opening into its later engine with the actual cards and matchup you have, rather than the ideal draft you hope to find.
What is the best primary and allied clan combination?
There is no universally best pairing established by the available comparisons. The primary clan determines the champion, while the primary and allied card pools together shape the run, so evaluate the ally by what it adds to the primary plan rather than assuming one pairing is always optimal.
Choose a primary that can carry a complete plan
For a learning run, keep the primary consistent long enough to understand its champion and core pool. Then rotate the ally and notice whether the new tools address a gap in survival, damage, scaling, or defensive coverage. This makes it easier to distinguish a primary plan that works from a run that happened to benefit from one unusually helpful allied card.
Judge the pairing under the actual floor and boss constraints
Room and Equipment cards are among the sequel’s systems highlighted in coverage, and they can change how a clan’s plan fits on a floor. Consider whether the primary’s units already demand substantial space, whether Equipment supports the damage or defense you need, and whether Room effects suit the floor pattern you are building. Then check whether the relevant Seraph matchup leaves enough time for that setup to work.
These are questions to apply to the cards in your run, not a claim that a particular pairing has been proven best. The sources describe clan data and systems but do not provide a universal win-rate table for every clan combination or Covenant level.
Which clan should I level first?
If you want a particular clan to gain progression XP, make it your primary: RailTools’ unlock guide reports that the primary receives 100% of the score as XP, compared with 50% for the ally. If you are still learning, a useful compromise is to keep that clan primary while changing allies between runs.
Choose based on what you want to learn next. If you are working on understanding a champion and a core card pool, consistency in the primary slot helps. If you already understand that primary but want to explore how support tools alter its plan, change the ally rather than switching both clans at once.
Why do I keep dying early on Covenant 10?
An early loss can mean the run’s opening plan is too dependent on later scaling, but it can also expose a mismatch between your units, floor space, and the threats in that battle. Review the first fights as a separate problem from the late-game build.
- The engine starts too late: Identify what must happen before the clan’s stronger plan works, then ask whether the opening can survive until that point.
- The draft is too narrow: If one missing card makes the run collapse, the plan may rely too heavily on an exact discovery rather than having a recovery route.
- The floor is overloaded: Check whether units, Room cards, or Equipment leave enough space for the formation you intended.
- The matchup changes the timing: A boss or Seraph matchup may punish setup time or reveal a defensive weakness that earlier fights did not.
- The clan is being judged by its ceiling: A powerful late-run engine does not automatically solve opening waves. Railforged’s reported Covenant 10 early-survival difficulty is a concrete example of why those are separate questions.
Use the failed run to identify which of these constraints came first. If the opening cannot hold, prioritize a more stable early plan in the next draft; if the opening works but the boss exposes a gap, focus on scaling, defensive coverage, or matchup response instead.
Why can’t an original Monster Train tier list settle this choice?
Monster Train 2’s clan comparisons should be based on the sequel rather than imported unchanged from the original game. Coverage highlights new or reworked Room and Equipment systems, and reports that clan performance can vary by Seraph matchup.
Patch context matters too. RailTools says its card counts, champion rosters, and keyword frequencies are generated from patch 2.2.1 game data, while its playstyle summaries are editorial synthesis. Card text, unlock order, or balance changes can alter how a clan performs, so a ranking from another patch—or the original game—may not describe the current version.
How we picked
This comparison uses the available clan-specific evidence rather than inventing a universal tier model. The listed tiers come from RailTools’ July 2026 editorial ranking; the Covenant 10 qualification and progression XP figures come from RailTools’ guide/database descriptions; and the Railforged early-game caveat is attributed to PC Gamer’s coverage. We prioritize beginner clarity separately from high-Covenant survival, scaling, matchup coverage, floor space, sequencing, champion dependence, and ally compatibility. The sources do not establish comparable results for every clan, pairing, or difficulty, so no universal win-rate order is implied.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards and artifacts are in Monster Train 2?
RailTools’ patch 2.2.1 data lists 564 cards and 220 artifacts. Those are source- and patch-specific totals, not timeless counts.
Does a clan’s S tier mean it has the highest win rate?
No published universal win-rate table for every clan and Covenant level is established here. The S-tier placement is RailTools’ editorial assessment, so use it as a direction for further comparison rather than a statistical guarantee.
Are the 12 clans equally represented in the current tier comparison?
No. The current cited overview confirms 12 playable clans, but the named July 2026 ranking evidence identifies six. The other six should not be assigned a tier based on missing information.