So, you’ve finally managed to claw your way through the Abyss in Monster Train 2, only to stare at the upgrade screen wondering if Talos’s "Celebrate" path is a trap. I get it. We’ve all been there. You look at those stats—+14 Attack and +25 Health—and think, "Wait, that doesn't help me survive this current wave of Titans at all." It feels slow. It feels like you’re playing for a future that might not happen because a random winged elite just punched a hole through your Pyre.
But honestly? If you aren't using Monster Train 2 Celebrate to its full potential, you’re missing out on the single most "broken" scaling mechanic Shiny Shoe has ever put in a deckbuilder.
Let's clear the air: Monster Train 2 Celebrate is a unit trigger that activates every single time you defeat a boss. It’s not just the big-bad at the end of the run; it triggers after every Ring boss. If your units survive the fight and Talos (or whichever unit has the keyword) is still standing, everyone gets a permanent, stackable buff. It’s basically like giving every single creature in your deck a free "Largestone" upgrade without using an upgrade slot.
How to Actually Win with the Celebrate Keyword
The biggest mistake people make with Monster Train 2 Celebrate is treating it like a combat buff. It isn't. It’s a meta-progression mechanic disguised as a unit ability. If you take it in Ring 1, you have eight opportunities to buff your entire board. Do the math. By the time you reach the final Titan confrontation, you’re looking at units with +112 Attack and +200 Health—before you even touch a single Merchant of Steel.
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You’ve got to play differently. You aren't building for "turn one" power. You’re building a survival bunker.
The Survival Strategy
- Keep them alive: The buff only hits units currently on the floor (or alive anywhere on the train, depending on your artifacts). If your frontline dies during the boss rush, they get nothing.
- Go wide, not tall: Usually, in Monster Train, you want one super-unit. With Celebrate, you want a full floor of "okay" units that eventually become gods.
- Prioritize Damage Shield: Since the Celebrate path doesn't give you immediate combat stats, you need cards that provide "fake" health. Armor and Damage Shield are your best friends here.
Is Celebrate Better Than Melee Weakness?
Look, I love the Melee Weakness build for Talos as much as the next guy. Watching a boss take 5,000 damage because you stacked 10 stacks of weakness is satisfying. It's flashy. It's immediate. But on higher Covenant ranks—specifically when you're pushing past Covenant 10 and 15—the enemies get so much health that your "one-shot" builds often fall short if you don't draw the perfect hand.
Monster Train 2 Celebrate offers consistency. It’s the "Old Reliable" of the sequel. While Melee Weakness relies on your deck's rotation, Celebrate relies on your units simply existing. If you can bridge the gap during the mid-game (Rings 4 and 5 are usually the danger zone), the late game becomes a victory lap.
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I’ve seen players pair Celebrate with the new "Celestial Alcoves" events. If you manage to snag the Shield of Wings artifact, which grants reflect shields to your frontline, your units basically become untouchable while they soak up those post-boss celebrations. It’s a snowball effect that feels dirty once it starts rolling.
The Synergy Secrets Nobody Tells You
One thing the wiki won't explicitly scream at you is how Monster Train 2 Celebrate interacts with the new "Equipment" cards. Unlike the first game, where units had limited slots, MT2 lets you stack gear. If you put a Smelted Treasure card on a unit that has already been Celebrated three times, you’re looking at a 400-HP monster that can solo a floor.
Then there's the Underlegion clan. If you're running a hybrid deck with them, use their "Mushroom" buffs to keep your units alive during the boss phase. Even if they have 1 HP left when the boss dies, the Celebrate trigger will heal them via the Max HP increase. It’s a literal life-saver.
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Don't Forget the Pyre
Here’s a weird bit of trivia: Celebrate also triggers if your Pyre health reaches 0, provided you have an artifact that allows for a "Final Stand" or if the boss dies simultaneously. It’s a rare occurrence, but it has saved more than a few of my runs.
The community is still debating whether it's "S-Tier," but if you're looking for a way to beat the game's hardest challenges without relying on RNG-heavy infinite combos, this is your path. It requires patience. It requires you to be okay with a weak start. But the payoff? It's literally the strongest your units can possibly get in the entire game.
Next Steps for Your Next Run
- Check your starter cards: If you have high-health frontline units but low damage, pick the Celebrate path immediately.
- Hunt for "Endless": Units with Celebrate keep their stacks even if they die and come back in the next battle, but they must be alive at the moment of the "Victory" screen to get the current floor's buff.
- Skip the first Merchant of Steel: Save your gold for "Merchant of Magic" to find defensive spells. Celebrate will provide all the raw stats you need for your units, so focus your gold on making sure your spells can keep them breathing.