Montabi Getting Started Guide
Your first roguelike route from boot to the first elite—without losing your Trainer on day one.
Montabi combines creature collecting with roguelike deckbuilding. You lead a Trainer across a city map, fight turn-based battles on a 3×3 grid, and recruit Montabi with biscuits after victories. The game released 6 August 2026 on Steam, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch as a single-player experience from Mankibo and Akupara Games. This page is the onboarding path the rest of the wiki assumes you have completed.
What a run looks like
Each run is one continuous route. You pick fights and services at nodes—shops, events, elites, and X Gang bosses—while your party grows stronger or picks up injuries. There is no separate overworld RPG layer: when your Trainer’s HP hits zero, the run ends immediately, even if your Montabi are healthy. Treat Trainer HP as your real life bar and Montabi as specialized tools that can be knocked out and revived.
You begin as the Student Trainer, the default starter documented on Trainers. Fighter and Chef unlock later as alternative Trainer kits with different cards and passives. Do not worry about them until you understand AP, positioning, and taming on a Student run.
Combat basics in one minute
Every unit on the field—Trainer plus up to two Montabi—has its own deck. At the start of each unit’s turn it draws four cards and receives 3 action points (AP). You spend AP to play cards; unused AP carries to your next turn on that same unit, which rewards patient play instead of dumping every card every round.
Units stand on a 3×3 grid. Front rows block line attacks; back rows keep fragile Montabi safer. You choose which card each unit plays and where movement abilities place them. If a Montabi is KO’d, you have three turns to revive it before Injury cards pollute its deck. The full rules live in Combat & Positioning.
Your first hour checklist
- Complete the tutorial fights if the game offers them on your platform—they teach targeting and AP without city pressure.
- Read each card the first time it appears; Montabi runs are lost to misread keywords more often than to bad RNG.
- Pick one damage dealer and one support Montabi early instead of collecting every species. See How to Tame Montabi for biscuit timing.
- Visit a safe node—often Cafe or a convenience store—before your first elite. City Map & Events lists what each icon sells.
- Plan evolution windows at levels 5 and 10 using How to Evolve Montabi so you do not evolve mid-boss fight by accident.
Taming and team size
After many battles you can spend biscuits to tame wild Montabi. Taming is optional when biscuits are low or the creature does not fit your Builds. Your active battle team stays capped at two Montabi beside the Trainer, so bench depth matters for swapping after injuries, not for bringing a third fighter into the grid.
Use the Tier List as a sanity check when you are unsure whether a tame is worth biscuits on your current route. Early commons can carry you if their cards match your Trainer; chasing rare spawns with empty pockets is a common beginner mistake.
City nodes you will see immediately
The map mixes combat and services. Expect Cafe healing, convenience store staples, Stickards for card rewards, Vending machines, Gotcharm encounters, random events, Elite fights, and Boss nodes tied to the X Gang. You do not need every name memorized—bookmark City Map & Events and open it whenever a new icon appears.
Items, tools, and long-term planning
Passive gear and consumables are catalogued under Items. Some bonuses only affect Trainer cards, others Montabi decks, and some change economy at shops. During a run, Tools can help you compare stats without alt-tabbing out of the game.
Common beginner mistakes
Spending all AP every turn. Carryover is a feature. Bank AP when you are setting up a combo next round.
Ignoring Trainer positioning. If enemies can reach your Trainer, Montabi DPS does not matter.
Taming everything. Biscuits are a budget; skip captures that duplicate roles you already cover.
Skipping shops before bosses. Bosses assume you have removed deck clutter and maybe grabbed one stick from Stickards. Read How to Beat Bosses before your first X Gang gate.
Where to read next
After this page, go to Combat & Positioning for grid tactics, then How to Tame Montabi when biscuits start dropping regularly. When your party hits level 5, switch to How to Evolve Montabi. You now have enough context to finish a full Student route and learn from losses without guessing core rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common Montabi questions.
What ends a Montabi run?
Trainer HP reaching zero ends the run. Montabi can be KO'd and revived within three turns; Trainer death is immediate game over.
How many Montabi fight at once?
You field the Trainer plus up to two Montabi on the 3×3 grid. Each has its own deck and draws four cards on its turn.
Does unused AP disappear?
No. Each unit keeps unused AP into its next turn, up to normal combat limits shown in battle UI.
Which Trainer should I pick first?
Student is the default starter. Unlock Fighter and Chef later after you understand AP, taming, and city pacing.
When do Montabi evolve?
Evolution milestones hit at levels 5 and 10. See the evolution guide for when to trigger them on your route.