How the Grid Combat and Evolution System Actually Work in Montabi

This isn't a repeat of the Overview page -- it's a closer look at how combat positioning and evolution actually shape a run, based on official materials ahead of the August 6 launch.

The 3x3 Grid Is a Real Tactical Layer

Don't treat the 3x3 grid as a visual flourish on top of standard turn-based combat -- positioning genuinely matters. Where your Montabi sit relative to threats affects what's actually possible on a given turn, so think spatially before committing to a card play, not just about raw stats or card synergy.

Deckbuilding Starts With Your Starter

Since each of the 22 starter evolutionary lines has a genuinely unique card deck, your starting pick is closer to choosing a class archetype than picking a favorite mascot. Consider what kind of deck strategy you want to build toward before choosing based on appearance alone.

Evolution Changes Your Toolkit, Not Just Your Stats

Training a Montabi toward evolution unlocks genuinely new card abilities and expanded tactical options -- it's not simply a stronger version of the same moves. Factor evolution timing into your run planning, since a Montabi mid-evolution may temporarily play differently than either its pre- or post-evolution form.

Protecting Your Trainer Above All

Since losing your Trainer ends the run immediately regardless of your Montabi team's health, always weigh a risky play against the actual threat to your Trainer specifically, not just your creatures' health bars.

Scaling Difficulty With Ascension

Once you're comfortable with the core loop, Ascension lets you progressively raise the challenge on repeat runs -- treat your first few runs as genuinely about learning grid positioning and deck fundamentals before pushing into higher Ascension tiers.

See the full data: Montabi Getting Started