The Winning Strategy for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7-3-17 I will keep this story up as an archived account of what was once wrong with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's item system, but it is worth noting that this problem has been substantially fixed via a patch. Thanks, Nintendo!
So I have found something out the hard way. Winning in Mario Kart 8 can many times feel like a completed toss up. You might find yourself thinking "It depends on what items I get.", or "I have no control of how the next race is going to go!". I think that I have found the way to get to the top half of the leaderboard consistently.
This isn't going to be some cheat or mind blowing hack, but rather a strategy that you keep at the forefront of your mind while playing. So before I just come out and say it, let me hit you up with some foreplay and explain my reasoning into getting to this train of thought.
Mario Kart may look like a racing game because it is. It is also more than just that. It is also a fighting game. Getting your opponent with a well-timed green shell skill shot could be a winning move. The best drift lines and fastest rated kart/racer combo will rarely if ever be the only factor needed for victory.
In order to understand the system, we have to understand how the gameplay loop happens. Most of the time, skirmish groups break out. Because there are now 2 item slots, it is very likely that the person that you just hit with a red shell is going to try and retaliate and at the very least catch up with you faster that they would have before the 2 item update in the Switch version. Now, because of this, you will start to see packs of about 4 racers that will ultimately be bundled up while watching the map. If you get into a pack of 4 people, it is hard to pull ahead due to the raw number of powerups that could be acquired by the group. If you are in a cluster of 4, and each one of the 3 others gets a double item box, you are looking at 6 items that can be used to knock you back further down the line or used to power ahead of you. The odds are not in your favor if you find yourself in this situation.
The best solution is to just to not get in the situation in the first place. In Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, I think that it was fine to mostly play offensively because the possible number of times was half of what it is now. You could risk shooting your red shell at the person far in front of you because the chance that the person behind you would actually get an item to take you down was less likely. There is one thing that I have learned and that is to always play defensively in this new version of the game. Its best to play like this all the time but ESPECIALLY in the first lap.
I think that the first lap really seals what part of the leaderboard you are going to end up on. By this time, the death packs have already formed, swarming around the track like a swarm of angry bees. If you are able to get in front and not do anything stupid, chances are, you are going to be able to stay in the top half of the standings by the end of the race. How do you do that?
Shooting shells in the first lap is pretty much pointless unless you are in dead last. You have to save those items for defense. You need to keep some sort of shield from an oncoming attack. Remember, first lap knockbacks have race wide effects that are very difficult to shake off. If you do have to be in a death pack, let it be one that is in the first 4 racers. If you are in 4th place, getting hit will knock you back into the next pack which will seriously reduce your chances of getting points at the end of the race. I recommend being very careful while in the back of any pack as well.
What do you think about the inclusion of dual items in the new deluxe version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the switch. Does it throw the balance off of the game? I sure think so. Comment down below or tweet at me @JoeG_LTE for more about this and other games. See you guys next time.
So I have found something out the hard way. Winning in Mario Kart 8 can many times feel like a completed toss up. You might find yourself thinking "It depends on what items I get.", or "I have no control of how the next race is going to go!". I think that I have found the way to get to the top half of the leaderboard consistently.
This isn't going to be some cheat or mind blowing hack, but rather a strategy that you keep at the forefront of your mind while playing. So before I just come out and say it, let me hit you up with some foreplay and explain my reasoning into getting to this train of thought.
Mario Kart may look like a racing game because it is. It is also more than just that. It is also a fighting game. Getting your opponent with a well-timed green shell skill shot could be a winning move. The best drift lines and fastest rated kart/racer combo will rarely if ever be the only factor needed for victory.
In order to understand the system, we have to understand how the gameplay loop happens. Most of the time, skirmish groups break out. Because there are now 2 item slots, it is very likely that the person that you just hit with a red shell is going to try and retaliate and at the very least catch up with you faster that they would have before the 2 item update in the Switch version. Now, because of this, you will start to see packs of about 4 racers that will ultimately be bundled up while watching the map. If you get into a pack of 4 people, it is hard to pull ahead due to the raw number of powerups that could be acquired by the group. If you are in a cluster of 4, and each one of the 3 others gets a double item box, you are looking at 6 items that can be used to knock you back further down the line or used to power ahead of you. The odds are not in your favor if you find yourself in this situation.
The best solution is to just to not get in the situation in the first place. In Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, I think that it was fine to mostly play offensively because the possible number of times was half of what it is now. You could risk shooting your red shell at the person far in front of you because the chance that the person behind you would actually get an item to take you down was less likely. There is one thing that I have learned and that is to always play defensively in this new version of the game. Its best to play like this all the time but ESPECIALLY in the first lap.
I think that the first lap really seals what part of the leaderboard you are going to end up on. By this time, the death packs have already formed, swarming around the track like a swarm of angry bees. If you are able to get in front and not do anything stupid, chances are, you are going to be able to stay in the top half of the standings by the end of the race. How do you do that?
Shooting shells in the first lap is pretty much pointless unless you are in dead last. You have to save those items for defense. You need to keep some sort of shield from an oncoming attack. Remember, first lap knockbacks have race wide effects that are very difficult to shake off. If you do have to be in a death pack, let it be one that is in the first 4 racers. If you are in 4th place, getting hit will knock you back into the next pack which will seriously reduce your chances of getting points at the end of the race. I recommend being very careful while in the back of any pack as well.
What do you think about the inclusion of dual items in the new deluxe version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the switch. Does it throw the balance off of the game? I sure think so. Comment down below or tweet at me @JoeG_LTE for more about this and other games. See you guys next time.
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