After 500 hours in Monster Train 2, its final faction of bondage angels is teaching me new ways to win

The Punished, the newest faction added to Monster Train 2, brings a unique playstyle centered around self-damage. Released on November 10 as a paid DLC, this faction is comprised of tortured edgelords who revel in inflicting pain upon themselves and their enemies. The Punished's main mechanic is the Monolith, a purple gem that allows players to sacrifice cards from their hand for Devotion, which increases their Zeal.

Zeal boosts the attack and maximum HP of all units, essentially acting as a scaling damage and survivability perk.

The Punished's starter champion, Archus, is a powerful S-tier character who can deal increased damage based on lost HP while also having the ability to debuff enemy damage. Archus can deploy a Darkshard in every lane with a 2-turn cooldown, dealing various effects such as Blinding, Looming, or Shattering Darkshard. These effects either reduce enemy attack, apply Bloodshed, or directly deal damage to enemies. Archus also has a partner unit, Scarred Justicar, which gains +15 attack when hit by a friendly spell or ability.

Zariel, another champion in The Punished faction, is more complex and requires intricate play. Prone to self-damage, she can apply Chained, Pain, and Devotion status effects to herself and enemies. Matriarch of Chains path allows her to apply Chained to enemies, while Pain Maiden path lets her deal damage to enemies based on the damage taken by friendly units.

Devout path enables her to gain Devotion and deal damage with Incant. Zariel's Pain Maiden path synergizes well with the Condemned clan, which grants Tenacious, allowing her to stack Pain while still dealing damage to enemies.