Monster Train 2 – Banished Clan Guide

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Upon beginning their journey in Monster Train 2, players can instantly unlock the Banished faction, which includes unique units, spells, gear, and more. These cards offer a diverse range of actions that might initially seem overwhelming due to the variety of choices available. This tutorial is designed for those players who may find the Banished clan’s offerings confusing, providing them with a solid foundation on what Monster Train 2’s Banished faction has in store and how to effectively utilize it.

This guide provides a brief overview of allied clan synergy for the Banished, but it doesn’t explore the numerous unclanned cards and Artifacts that can complement the Banished effectively. However, once a player understands the core mechanism of the Banished, identifying when an unclanned card will be beneficial should not pose too much trouble.

Basic Banished Clan Strategy in Monster Train 2

For those seeking a quick introduction to starting a game with Banished Champions, here’s a simplified guide. Remembering these key points will help you navigate through runs in the lower to middle Covenant Ranks:

1. Choose Your Champion: Select one of the four unique characters each with their own abilities and playstyle.
2. Understand Your Units: Familiarize yourself with the different types of units available, their roles, and strengths.
3. Master Your Spells: Learn the various spells at your disposal, knowing when to use them can turn the tide of battle.
4. Strategy & Positioning: Position your units effectively on the battlefield, using terrain to your advantage.
5. Practice Makes Perfect: The more you play, the better you’ll understand the game mechanics and improve your strategy.

  • The Banished’s central mechanic is Shift, and the key to playing the clan is consistently triggering the Shift abilities of units that have them.
  • A unit’s Shift ability triggers every time it moves. As such, players should build their Banished decks so that they can easily move units with Shift abilities, ideally multiple times per turn.
  • This can be done by filling the deck with cards that Advance, Ascend, and Descend units.
  • Typically, players should plan their movements so that units with Shift abilities are behind high-health, high-defense tank units before a combat round begins, keeping the squishier units protected.
  • Players should make upgrading their Shift-ability units and tanks a priority. Titanite is a great upgrade for tank units, while Multistrike is an excellent option for the uncommon Banished units with Shift abilities (Battle Dancer and Demonic Fledgling).
  • It is important to have some spells that can quickly dispatch groups of low-health enemies. Cleave is a good option for Banished, and allied clans can also give players access to those types of spells.

Banished Clan Champions in Monster Train 2

Fel

Fel is the first Banished Champion that players can access, and she can take three different forms:

  • Vanguardian
    • Level 1: Multistrike 1 | Revenge: Apply Valor 1 to friendly units. | Attack: 2×2, Health: 20
    • Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Revenge: Apply Valor 2 to friendly units. | Attack: 3×2, Health: 30
    • Level 3: Multistrike 1 | Revenge: Apply Valor 4 to friendly units. | Attack: 4×2, Health: 40
  • Unchained
    • Level 1: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. | Attack: 1×2, Health: 10
    • Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. | Attack: 9×2, Health: 24
    • Level 3: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. At Valor 75 gain Multristrike 1. | Attack: 9×2, Health: 32
  • Savior
    • Level 1: Multistrike 1 | Ability: Savior (Cooldown 3. Advance. Gain Valor 5. Gain Armor equal to 1x Valor.) | Attack: 5×2, Health: 20
    • Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Ability: Savior II (Cooldown 3. Advance. Gain Valor 15. Gain Armor equal to 1x Valor) | Attack: 10×2, Health: 30
    • Level 3: Multistrike 1 | Ability: Savior III (Cooldown 3. Advance. Gain Valor 15. Friendly units gain Armor equal to 1x Fel’s Valor. | Attack: 15×2, Health: 45

Generally speaking, newcomers are advised to opt for the Level 1 Unchained when embarking on a quest as Fel. This choice offers a permanent Valor boost each time the Champion moves, which can be remarkably potent. Players focusing on moving Fel frequently should find that her attack power significantly increases by the time they encounter the first boss. To maintain Fel’s position shifting consistently, players should employ spells with an Advance feature, such as Just Cause and Selfless Sacrifice, and units with similar abilities, like Steadfast Crusader and Hostguard. These units can help swap the Champion’s position on the battlefield repeatedly.

If Unchained isn’t immediately accessible, players are recommended to opt for Savior instead. This choice provides them with an instant means to repeatedly activate a unit’s Shift capability.

Following the conquest of the initial boss, players encounter a crossroads: should they opt for Unchained Level 2 (to eventually attain Unchained Level 3 and bestow the Champion with an extra Multistrike), or choose Savior to secure another means of champion advancement? Either route is sensible, but if the player has not amassed numerous Advance cards during the early rounds, making it challenging to regularly move Fel, opting for Savior might be more beneficial.

In their transformations, champions retain the skills they’ve previously acquired. To illustrate, suppose a champion initially possesses the Unchained form, which grants the ability “Shift: Permanently gain Valor 1.” Even if this champion chooses to upgrade to Savior later on, they will still maintain the “Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently” skill from their Unchained form.

Regarding the upcoming update, if players have already attained Unchained Level 2, they should consider advancing to Unchained Level 3 to gain extra Multistrike, provided they have achieved Valor 75. Conversely, those who opted for Savior should aim to upgrade Savior to level 2, to boost the Valor provided by the Savior ability.

A battle structure geared towards boosting Valor in fights might benefit significantly from a Vanguardian Fel, although among the three choices, it appears to be the comparatively less powerful one.

Talos

When players advance to Level 5 within the Banished faction, they’ll gain access to Talos, a versatile Champion who can assume up to three distinct shapes.

  • Battle Cleric
    • Level 1: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor) | Resolve: Apply Valor 2 to friendly units. | Attack: 8, Health: 20
    • Level 2: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor) | Resolve: Apply Valor 4 to friendly units. | Attack: 15, Health: 30
    • Level 3: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor) | Resolve: Apply Valor 6 to friendly units. | Attack: 25, Health: 50
  • Celestial Radiance
    • Level 1: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor.) | Shift: Apply Melee Weakness 1 to enemy units. | Attack: 10, Health: 16
    • Level 2: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor.) | Shift: Apply Melee Weakness 2 to enemy units. | Attack: 15, Health: 25
    • Level 3: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor.) | Shift: Apply Melee Weakness 3 to enemy units. | Attack: 30, Health: 50
  • Enchantress
    • Level 1: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor.) | Celebrate: Apply +2 Attack and +6 Health to friendly units on all floors permanently. | Attack: 6, Health: 12
    • Level 2: Ability: Flight (Cooldown: 2. Move to a targeted location on any floor.) | Celebrate: Apply +4 Attack and +10 Health to friendly units on all floors permanently. | Attack: 8, Health: 16
    • Level 3: TBD

While players can make Fel a powerful self-reliant entity by pumping her with vast amounts of Valor, a comparable strategy isn’t feasible with Talos. Instead, players will utilize this Champion as a highly-mobile buffer and debuffer who doesn’t scale on her own. In fact, Talos’s main role is to traverse floors and move between them, ensuring that units which benefit from shifting consistently receive those benefits.

It’s worth mentioning that Talos decks don’t initially contain five copies of the Just Cause spell, which facilitates easy horizontal unit movement, much like Fel decks do. Consequently, players should make full use of Talos’s flight ability, enabling her to travel to a specified location on any level. Although players might attempt to employ Flight as a substitute for Just Cause, the ability truly excels when used to move vertically and activate units with Shift abilities across all three floors.

Even if a floor has reached its limit, you can still transport a unit to that level using the options ‘Flight’, ‘Ascend’, or ‘Descend’. It’s essential for players to grasp this notion when deploying Talos in combat, but it may also apply to other spells and units from Banished.

Regarding enhancing Talos, it might seem appealing to choose the Enchantress right away to boost its permanent stats. However, using her effectively during the initial stages can be tricky since players may struggle to keep units alive throughout battles (a prerequisite for receiving her buff). This is because Talos doesn’t offer any combat advantages apart from activating Shift abilities. Furthermore, many units that are worth permanently boosting might not even appear until after defeating the first boss. Consequently, picking Enchantress straight away could be less attractive due to these factors.

To get the best start in the game, it’s suggested that players initially choose between Battle Cleric or Celestial Radiance. These characters offer valuable in-combat advantages at the outset of each run. Once you defeat the first boss, consider progressing down the Enchantress path to continually enhance the strong units you’ve acquired. You can pick up Enchantress Level 2 after defeating the second boss for even better unit improvements, or switch back to Battle Cleric or Celestial Radiance if you find that you need more assistance during battles.

Banished Clan Units in Monster Train 2

Common

In a single type, the Outcasts possess the Upbeat Warbler. This charisma empowers friendly units on the same level, making them act ahead of adversaries, which can be advantageous for swiftly eliminating minor and moderate threats before they inflict harm.

Uncommon

As a savvy Banished gamer, I’ve come to understand that there are three unique types of units that don’t quite fit the norm: the movers like Battle Dancers and Demonic Fledglings who thrive on movement, the buff-givers such as Lead Songbirds and Punk Shredders who boost your other units, and the tanks including Steadfast Crusaders, Avengers, and Firebrands who stand strong at the forefront. In most cases, it’s wise to position a tank at the front, a mover in the middle, and a buffer at the back on each floor. During gameplay, I make use of cards and abilities that help move my mover into the right spot before any combat breaks out.

To clarify this concept using an illustration, consider the scenario where players envision a stage with a Firebrand at the forefront and a Battle Dancer positioned behind it acting as a shield. Players could then engage in a strategy similar to executing a ‘Just Cause’ on their Battle Dancer, propelling it forward, followed by using another ‘Just Cause’ on the Firebrand to pull it back into position. This tactic would provide the Battle Dancer with two benefits from its Shift ability, and players should always seek out such opportunities when controlling Banished characters.

In a game featuring Unchained Fel, players might experiment with placing her in the frontline (tank position) and applying the earlier described tactic to continually boost her Valor, simultaneously providing the character behind her with a momentary Shift buff. Contrastingly, Talos can be positioned flexibly, as players will leverage her Flight ability to maneuver their characters.

Among the three choices, it’s worth noting the standout option, Steadfast Crusader. He uniquely possesses an Advance ability, which is particularly useful for activating Shift abilities on mobile units. In fact, pairing him with an Unchained Fel on the same floor could significantly boost the permanent Valor gains due to their synergy.

Rare

The infrequently encountered Banished units maintain the pattern set by their scarcely seen counterparts, featuring two mobile units (Death’s Dancer and Divine Dancer), one defensive unit (Hostguard), and one supportive unit (Deathmetal Hymnist). These units are all worth experimenting with in their designated positions. The Deathmetal Hymnist, in particular, can truly excel on a floor that includes an uncommon mover and a boosted Unchained Fel.

The Hostguard, much like the Steadfast Crusader, boasts a built-in Advance ability. Although he requires three slots, the Hostguard’s unique capacity to traverse floors can offset this disadvantage. This is because, in some instances, a floor’s maximum capacity can be surpassed by transferring a unit to it. To illustrate, let me provide an example of this functionality:

In a given scenario, if the fourth floor has only two slots available, but you have three units ready to move, you could send the Hostguard up to the fourth floor. Since the Hostguard can traverse floors, he would effectively occupy only one slot on the fourth floor, allowing the other two units to follow him without exceeding the floor’s capacity.

  • At deployment, players could create a floor with a tank, a mover, and a buffer to reach its base capacity of five.
  • They could then place a Hostguard on another floor.
  • From there, they could use the Hostguard’s Heavenly Slam to move the unit to the filled floor, giving the mover a Shift buff in the process.

Banished Clan Spells in Monster Train 2

Common

As a Banished player myself, I’ve come to understand that it’s crucial for us to keep moving our units consistently during gameplay. There are some common spells that facilitate this, and one of the most noticeable ones is Just Cause. When playing with Fel, you’ll find five copies of it in your deck from the get-go. However, don’t forget to grab copies of Self Sacrifice whenever the chance arises as well.

Players might find it beneficial to acquire the card “Rising Rage,” especially for strategies involving Talos. This card can propel Talos to a higher floor, and then her Flight ability can be utilized again, activating movers as she moves further. It’s worth mentioning that there are uncommon and rare spells that offer similar functionalities with Fel, but Rising Rage is more directly applicable when Talos serves as the chosen Champion.

A challenge can sometimes be used not just for hostile units but also for allies, propelling them forward. However, it’s essential to note that this action often has a clear disadvantage. Despite the Melee Weakness debuff not always being severely detrimental, this spell remains a viable choice when initiating movement due to its relatively manageable consequences.

Emphasize once more the significance of using the spell “Cleave“, since it proves crucial for swiftly eliminating multiple low-health enemies at once, particularly as Covenant Rank rises. This is one of the few Banished cards that can accomplish this consistently, making it beneficial to include a few copies in your deck.

Uncommon

Notably, there’s an unusual card called Heroic Dive, which enhances movement even more. This card complements Rising Rage effectively, especially when a player wants to subdue Fel after she ascends. Players may also employ Demonize to lower the position of an allied unit; however, they should only do so if they can handle the Melee Weakness penalty that comes with it.

Rare

Just like before, I find myself drawn to the unique spells that can move my minions or Champions, and these gems are none other than Wyngh’s Radiance, Tome of the Lost Path, and Eagleheart. Among them, Wyngh’s Radiance might not be every gamer’s first pick for moving friendly units, but it serves as a backup Just Cause when all energy is spent. It also offers an intriguing twist by giving us some control over our enemies’ positions. However, Tome of the Lost Path and Eagleheart don’t share that particular feature.

Banished Clan Equipment in Monster Train 2

There are three pieces of Banished equipment that are obviously powerful:

  • Wingblade: This common equipment is great on both tanks and movers, as those units will be constantly shifting as the Banished’s standard plan is enacted.
  • Everlasting Light: Fel is great at carrying this uncommon sword, and it also does well on a unit that has been upgraded with Multistrike.
  • Cursed Twinblade: Once again, a Fel with a ton of Valor can make great use of the Multistrike that this rare equipment provides, as can the uncommon movers.

Banished Clan Rooms in Monster Train 2

The chambers of the Outcast hold considerable strength, but the Imprisoned Zephyr might seem more conspicuously potent given its seamless alignment with the clan’s primary game strategy. Its unique feature of having no energy cost sets it apart, ensuring players will never encounter difficulties in placing the room.

Banished Clan Artifacts in Monster Train 2

The Banished Artifacts are as follows:

  • Ancient Pinion: When an Angel moves it gains Valor 2.
  • Blood of the Apex: Permanently add +2 Attack to a unit’s Equipment on Slay.
  • Burning Feather: When a friendly unit dies, Angels on the floor gain Rage 7.
  • Captain’s Halo: At start of turn, friendly units gain Valor 2 if they are at the front of the room.
  • TBD
  • Chain of the Valkyrie: When you equip an Angel, apply Valor 3, Rage 3, and Regen 3.
  • Karmic Censer: Shift triggers an additional time.
  • Martyr’s Signet: At the end of the entire battle, friendly units at front of the floor permanently gain +6 Health.
  • Radiant Arms: When you equip a unit, apply Damage Shield 1.
  • Skysong Trumpet: Summoning a Hymnist applies Valor 5 to friendly units.
  • Titan’s Edict: Valor grants an additional +1 Armor per stack.

In general, many Monster Train Artifacts become extremely potent when paired with suitable decks. However, three artifacts – Ancient Pinion, Karmic Censer, and Titan’s Edict – are almost always exceptional choices. If a player frequently employs equipment, they will undoubtedly appreciate adding Blood of the Apex, Chain of the Valkyrie, or Radiant Arms to their collection. Meanwhile, decks that feature Angels or Hymnists with the Undying upgrade can greatly benefit from Burning Feather and Skysong Trumpet.

Banished Clan Allies in Monster Train 2

When you’re playing as the Banished, the Pyreborne clan makes an excellent ally due to their abundance of spells designed for taking out weak opponents. Cards such as Flicker, Pyreball, Dragon’s Breath, and Pyreclasm can be particularly beneficial for the Banished and may even warrant upgrades, especially in decks lacking Cleave. Moreover, Hot Head, a unit from the Pyreborne clan, possesses a Fire Breathing ability that proves effective against numerous small enemies, and with suitable enhancements, it can serve as an adequate tank.

In addition, The Pyreborne allows players to tap into the Dragon Treasury, and the wealth (gold and artifacts) it generates can prove quite beneficial for the exiled ones.

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2025-05-21 18:16