Monster Train: All champions from weakest to strongest

Monster Train is a roguelike deck builder strategy game where you can play as villains. The forces of heaven are trying to destroy your beloved hell so you have to travel by train to make devil’s home safe. To fight against these bad guys you have the help of hellish clans and their champions. The gameplay is very similar to Slay the Spire, so your learning curve isn’t there when you play it.

In order to succeed in your quest to save all that is unholy, you must build decks around your champions. They come from six clans Hellhorned, Awoken, Stygian Guard, Umbra, Melting Remnant and Wurmkin. Each clan has a base champion and a banished one, the latter being available by upgrading the clan level. Monster Train can be overwhelming for beginners, so first we’re going to rank all of the base champions from weakest to strongest.

See also: Monster Train Beginner’s Guide

Monster Train: Ranking of all basic champions

Champions are the pillars of Monster Train, so you must choose your (anti)heroes carefully and create a deck that has a chance of reaching the endgame. Although you can win with any champion, some are more useful than others.

The Sentient (Awakened Clan)

Since this is the Monster Train: All Champions rankings from weakest to strongest, we have to start with someone. It just so happens to be The Sentient from the Awoken clan, mostly due to a lack of flexibility. No matter which upgrade you choose, this evil Ent-like creature will always serve as your armored unit. Explosive (Rejuvenate trigger effect), cultivation (revenge trigger effect) and Bristly (Spikes Buff) Upgrades only focus on how to play that role.

Tethys Titansbane (Stygian Guard Clan)

When you see Tethys Titansbane, it’s clear that this creature isn’t very tough – when you know you wouldn’t dare use it as a frontal unit. That’s because his best position is in the back, from where he buffs units and debuffs enemies.

Be careful when choosing upgrades and maps, as the wrong combination means you’re at the end of the road (literally, if you’re on a train). Tethys has upgrades focused on various magical abilities: chill wind (Frostbite Debuff), Management (Spells cost less) and Handheld Totem (Weakness Debuff).

Hornbreaker Prince (Hellhorned Clan)

Hornbreaker Prince can do a lot of damage, especially if you boost him to Rage. It can be further upgraded with brawler (Multi-Strike ability), Reaper (Slay trigger effect) or Angry (big armor) upgrades. He’s a solid mid-range champion, making him a good choice for beginners.

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Spine Chief (Wurmkin Clan)

Spine Chief is a leader of a new Wurmkin clan introduced in The Last Divinity expansion. It takes a little time to master this monster’s fighting style. But if you do, you’ll be an extremely efficient tank. Its upgrades are The administrator (harvesting ability), The spoiler (buff attack from units) and The Infector (hatches eggs?). Also, he looks like Hydralisk went to a nail salon.

Rector Flicker (Melting Remnant Clan)

Rector Flicker may look like a devilish Lumière from Beauty and the Beast, but there’s real power behind this candlelight. To fully unleash his powers, you must carefully build a deck and choose when and where to use him. Its upgrades Burn bright (burnout ability), accumulator (Harvest trigger effect) and Dark calling (Reform Spell Effect) lets you choose your strategy between brute force and minion manipulation.

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Penumbra (Umbra Clan)

Penumbra looks like he’s straight out of The Upside Down in Stranger Things. And just like that Mind Flayer monster, this one is just as terrifying. This monster has tremendous health and can single-handedly destroy enemies with powerful attacks. It has three upgrades architect (focuses on Summon), Outrageous (ability to trample) and wolverine (Gorge trigger effect). Penumbra was so powerful that it had to be nerfed, but even after that it’s still the strongest base champion in Monster Train.

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