Monster Train 2

Players will have access to the Banished immediately upon starting their time with Monster Train 2, and this clan comes with its own units, spells, equipment, and beyond. These cards can perform a wide array of actions, and players may initially feel overwhelmed by the options that are available to them. This guide is written with those players in mind, and it will help them establish a solid understanding of what Monster Train 2's Banished clan has to offer and how to make the most of it.

While this guide briefly touches upon allied clan synergy, it does not dive into the multitude of unclanned cards and Artifacts that can work well with the Banished. That said, once a player has a good sense of the Banished's core mechanic, it should not be too difficult to determine when an unclanned card will be useful.

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Monster Train 2 - Balatro Collaboration Trailer

Monster Train 2 announces an official crossover with Balatro, bringing six of Jimbo's jokers into the Roguelike deck-building game.

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Basic Banished Clan Strategy in Monster Train 2

While players can find a great deal of information about the Banished Champions, units, spells, and beyond in the sections that are below, some may want just a basic overview of how to start playing the clan. Here is such an overview, and players who keep these points in mind should have no trouble completing runs in the low- to mid-Covenant Ranks:

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: 2x2, Health: 20
- Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Revenge: Apply Valor 2 to friendly units. | Attack: 3x2, Health: 30
- Level 3: Multistrike 1 | Revenge: Apply Valor 4 to friendly units. | Attack: 4x2, Health: 40
Unchained
- Level 1: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. | Attack: 1x2, Health: 10
- Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. | Attack: 9x2, Health: 24
- Level 3: Multistrike 1 | Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently. At Valor 75 gain Multristrike 1. | Attack: 9x2, Health: 32
Savior
- Level 1: Multistrike 1 | Ability: Savior (Cooldown 3. Advance. Gain Valor 5. Gain Armor equal to 1x Valor.) | Attack: 5x2, Health: 20
- Level 2: Multistrike 1 | Ability: Savior II (Cooldown 3. Advance. Gain Valor 15. Gain Armor equal to 1x Valor) | Attack: 10x2, 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: 15x2, Health: 45

In general, it is recommended that players go for Unchained Level 1 when starting a run as Fel. Indeed, gaining a permanent Valor every time the Champion moves is extremely powerful, and players who focus on moving Fel as much as possible should be able to increase her attack considerably by the time they reach the first boss. To consistently shift Fel, players should use spells with Advance, like Just Cause and Selfless Sacrifice, and units with Advance abilities, like Steadfast Crusader and Hostguard, to repeatedly swap the Champion's position with another unit on the floor.

If Unchained is not available initially, players are advised to go Savior. This will give them immediate access to another way to consistently trigger a unit's Shift ability.

After defeating the first boss, players may have a choice to consider: do they want to grab Unchained Level 2 (so that they can ultimately reach Unchained Level 3 and give the Champion an additional Multistrike), or do they want to grab a level of Savior and earn an additional way to Advance the Champion. Both of these options are reasonable, and players are advised to experiment with them. That said, if the player has not picked up many cards with Advance during the first few rings, making it difficult to consistently shift Fel, Savior is probably the way to go.

Champions keep the abilities that they have already earned when changing forms. For example, if a player starts with Unchained, Fel will keep "Shift: Gain Valor 1 permanently" even if they pick Savior when they upgrade the Champion.

With respect to the final upgrade, players who went for Unchained Level 2 should go ahead and grab Unchained Level 3 for the additional Multistrike, assuming that they were able to reach Valor 75. Players who went for Savior, on the other hand, should pursue Savior Level 2 in order to increase the Valor that the Savior ability provides.

A build that focuses on maximizing Valor in combat could definitely take advantage of a Vanguardian Fel, though this form seems like the lesser of the three options.

Talos

Upon reaching Level 5 with the Banished clan, players will unlock Talos, a Champion that can take three forms:

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 turn Fel into a self-contained powerhouse by giving her huge amounts of Valor, a similar approach is not really possible with Talos. Instead, players will use this Champion as a highly-mobile buffer and debuffer that does not have any scaling of her own. Indeed, Talos's primary role is to travel across floors, and between them, in order to consistently move units that receive a benefit from shifting.

To note, Talos decks do not start with five copies of the Just Cause spell, which can be used to easily move units horizontally, like Fel decks do. As such, players must really take advantage of Talos's Flight ability, which allows her to move to a targeted location on any floor. While players can try to simply use Flight as a replacement for Just Cause, the ability really shines when it is used to move vertically and trigger units with Shift abilities on all three floors.

If a floor is at its maximum capacity, it is still possible to move a unit to that floor with Flight, Ascend, or Descend. While it is critical that players understand this concept when taking Talos into battle, it can also come up when using other Banished spells and units.

With respect to leveling up Talos, it can be tempting to take Enchantress immediately in order to maximize the permanent stats that it can provide. However, making good use of it on the first few rings can be quite challenging, as players may find that it is difficult to keep units alive until the end of fights (a requirement for receiving the buff from Enchantress) without Talos providing any in-combat benefits aside from triggering Shift abilities. Additionally, players may not even have many units that are worth permanently buffing until after the first boss, making going straight for Enchantress even less desirable.

As such, it is recommended that players start with Battle Cleric or Celestial Radiance, as the in-combat effects that they provide are quite helpful at the start of a run. Then, after the first boss, a player could consider going down the Enchantress path in order to start permanently improving the solid units that they have begun to obtain. Players could then grab Enchantress Level 2 after beating the second boss, to further improve their units, or they could go back to Battle Cleric or Celestial Radiance if they are finding that they need a little more help in battle.

Banished Clan Units in Monster Train 2

Common

The Banished have just one common unit, the Upbeat Warbler, which gives Quick to friendly units on the same floor. This enchantment causes the units to attack before the enemies, and it can be useful for clearing out small and medium foes before they can deal any damage.

Uncommon

There are three primary types of uncommon Banished units: those that benefit from moving (Battle Dancer and Demonic Fledgling), those that provide buffs (Lead Songbird and Punk Shredder), and those that can act as tanks (Steadfast Crusader, Avenger, and Firebrand). In general, players should try to have a tank at the front, a mover in the middle, and a buffer at the back of each floor. Players can then use cards and abilities that will shift the position of their mover, making sure a tank ends up in front of the mover before combat occurs.

To concretize this idea with an example, players could imagine a floor on which they have a Firebrand in the front and a Battle Dancer behind that tank. Here, players could play something like a Just Cause on their Battle Dancer, advancing it to the front, and then use a Just Cause on the Firebrand to move it back into position. This would give the Battle Dancer two buffs from its Shift ability, and players should constantly be looking for these types of situations when playing as Banished.

When using Unchained Fel, players can try putting her in the tank position and using the previously detailed strategy to permanently buff her Valor while also giving the mover that is behind him their temporary Shift buff. Talos, on the other hand, can be positioned more freely, as players will be using her Flight ability to shift their movers.

While the three tanks are all decent options, it is worth taking a moment to point out Steadfast Crusader, as he has a built-in Advance ability. This makes him great at triggering the Shift abilities on movers, and players may even want to put him on the same floor with an Unchained Fel to maximize the permanent Valor gains.

Rare

The rare Banished units continue the trend established by the uncommon units, and there are two movers (Death's Dancer and Divine Dancer), one tank (Hostguard), and one buffer (Deathmetal Hymnist). These units are all worth trying in their respective slots, and the Deathmetal Hymnist can really shine on a floor with an uncommon mover and a powered-up Unchained Fel.

The Hostguard is also an excellent tank, as, just like Steadfast Crusader, he has a built-in Advance ability. While he does take up three slots, the Hostguard's ability to move between floors can negate this drawback, as it is possible to exceed a floor's capacity by moving a unit to it. This concept has already been touched upon, but here is an example of how this works:

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

It is now well established that players should be looking for ways to consistently shift their units when playing as Banished, and there are several common spells that make that possible. The most obvious of those spells is Just Cause, and players will start with five copies in their decks when using Fel. That said, players should also be looking to pick up copies of Self Sacrifice when opportunities arise.

Players may also want to grab copies of Rising Rage, particularly when using Talos. Indeed, players can use that card to send Talos up a floor, and then use her Flight ability to move her again, triggering movers along the way. Notably, there are uncommon and rare spells that allow similar things to be done with Fel, though Rising Rage has more immediate applications when Talos is the Champion of choice.

Challenge can also be used on friendly units to Advance, even though doing so comes with an obvious drawback. That said, the Melee Weakness debuff is not always extremely problematic, making this spell a reasonable option for initiating movement.

It is also important to reiterate the importance of Cleave, as having the ability to quickly kill several low-health units simultaneously becomes very important as Covenant Rank increases. This spell is really the only Banished card that can do that consistently, and it is great to have some copies in the deck.

Uncommon

Perhaps the most noteworthy uncommon spell is Heroic Dive, which can further facilitate movement. This card works nicely alongside the aforementioned Rising Rage, particularly if the player needs a way to bring Fel down after ascending her. Players can also use Demonize to descend a friendly unit, though they should only do so if they can deal with the associated Melee Weakness debuff.

Rare

As before, the rare spells that help get movers and Champion shifting are often worthwhile, and those are Wyngh's Radiance, Tome of the Lost Path, and Eagleheart. Of those options, Wyngh's Radiance is the least desirable for moving a friendly unit, though it can act as a zero-energy Just Cause if it is played after all a player's energy is spent. It does have the added benefit of giving players some control over their enemies' positions, though, while Tome of the Lost Path and Eagleheart do not.

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

Both of the Banished's rooms can be quite powerful, though Imprisoned Zephyr may be more obviously so due to how perfectly it supports the clan's standard game plan. Its zero-energy cost also makes it exceptional, as players will never have any issue deploying 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.

While most of these Monster Train Artifacts can be very powerful when supporting the right decks, Ancient Pinion, Karmic Censer, and Titan's Edict will almost always be excellent. That said, if a player is using a lot of equipment, they will definitely be happy to grab Blood of the Apex, Chain of the Valkyrie, or Radiant Arms, while a deck that has Angels or Hymnists with the Undying upgrade can make great use of Burning Feather and Skysong Trumpet.

Banished Clan Allies in Monster Train 2

The Pyreborne are an excellent Monster Train clan to ally when playing as the Banished, as they give players access to numerous spells that can be used to clear low-health enemies. Indeed, cards like Flicker, Pyreball, Dragon's Breath, and Pyreclasm can all be very useful to the Banished, and they can definitely be worth upgrading, especially in decks that do not have many copies of Cleave. Additionally, the Pyreborne's Hot Head unit has a Fire Breathing ability that is great against multiple small enemies, and it can make a perfectly reasonable tank with the right upgrades.

The Pyreborne also give players access to the Dragon Hoard, and the gold and Artifacts that mechanic provides can be very useful to the Banished.

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