Finding the best clans in Monster Train starts with a single question: which clan makes your next run easier to win? This tier list ranks each clan by decision value, using criteria that hold across every covenant.
The criteria are floor control, scaling, ease of piloting, how forgiving the early game is, and how well the clan supports a secondary pick. Ranked this way, a clan earns its tier by helping you decide, not by looking flashy.
How this tier list is ranked
Every tier reflects one thing: how much a clan helps you win a run you are still learning. A clan rises when it survives a weak opening, holds a floor without perfect cards, and grows into a boss answer.
The ranks come from how each clan plays against the same problem. The reasoning stays mechanical and stated, so you can trace why a clan sits where it does.
Two clans that clear those tests rise. Clans that need an exact draft, an exact floor order, or a rare relic fall. A tier list should help a normal run, not a perfect one.
S-tier clans
S-tier clans win the most runs with the least help from a lucky draft. They also forgive a shaky opening, which matters most while you climb.
Awoken sits at the top because it scales without demanding a perfect hand. Its units grow through the battle and hold a floor while they do, so a slow start rarely ends the run.
Stygian Guard lands beside it for a different reason. The clan turns spells into big single swings, so a well-timed turn answers a threat that a board cannot. Both reward tight drafting, and both keep working when the draft is thin.
A-tier clans
These clans win plenty of runs, but they ask for one clean habit before they shine. Give them that habit and they match the top tier.
Hellhorned gives you a sturdy front and direct damage, so the floor fight is easy to read. Its cost is discipline: spread its rage and imps too thin and the line cracks.
Melting Remnant trades units for value and brings them back, which turns a lost board into a second wave. The loop is rewarding but wants tight unit counts to stay clean.
The monster train clan tier list
| Tier | Clan | Identity | Why it ranks there |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Awoken | Scaling units that grow through the battle and hold a floor | Forgiving opening, clear plan, works with a thin draft |
| S | Stygian Guard | Spell-heavy clan that banks power for big single turns | Strongest boss conversion and upgrade payoff when drafted tight |
| A | Hellhorned | Front-line clan with sturdy units and direct damage | Easy to read, but wants discipline around floor space |
| A | Melting Remnant | Disposable units harvested for value and brought back | High ceiling, rewards tight unit counts |
| B | Wurmkin | Clan built on a charge resource that fuels floor-wide buffs | High ceiling, needs resource management first |
| C | Umbra | Echoes and split units that flood the board | Dominant as support, volatile as a primary climb clan |
Best starting clan for beginners
If you are new, pick Awoken. It teaches the floor fight without burying you in extra resources, and its scaling grows while you learn placement.
Hellhorned is the strong second choice. Its plan is blunt: hold the front and hit hard, which a new player can copy without a long explanation.
Starter picks decide how fast you learn, not how high you can climb. The starter clan guide covers the two clans the game hands you first.
Best clan combinations
A pairing works when both clans chase the same goal. Awoken pairs with Hellhorned for a line that holds and scales, and with Stygian Guard for sustain behind a burst plan.
Melting Remnant pairs well with anything that rewards a wide board, because its reformed units keep arriving. The clan combinations page walks through how to read a shared theme before you draft.
Wurmkin and Umbra want extra setup, so pair them with a clan that already covers the floor fight. The goal is one plan, not two.
Clans that need the right setup
Wurmkin runs on a resource you spend and refill, so a deck that ignores the count stalls. Read the cards that charge it before you commit.
Umbra floods the board with small bodies and grows one carry from them. That plan is strong when the floor holds and fragile when a wave lands early.
These clans can carry a run, but they reward a player who plans two turns ahead. Give them a support clan that buys time, and the payoff arrives.
Clans to avoid as a beginner
Skip Umbra and Wurmkin for your first climb. Both add a resource layer on top of the floor fight, and that layer hides your mistakes instead of fixing them.
This is not a verdict on their strength. It is about learning order: master the floor fight first, then add the clans that bend it.
Melting Remnant sits in the middle. Its reform loop teaches scaling and recovery, but the loop confuses a player who is still learning placement.
Picking a clan for the Covenant climb
Once you know the best clans in Monster Train, the next question is your route. A clan that tops this list still needs a plan for each boss and each covenant step.
If you are chasing Covenant 25, read the covenant levels page to see what each step adds. If you cannot pick yet, the which clan to start with guide points to a first choice.
Next: Clan combinations.