What is the best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kart? In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, choosing who you race with and what you race in is a core part of the game. Much like your choice of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe character, picking the kart you want to race in is largely a matter of preference. But, it’s not only that. You’re faced with a big decision – whether you want the kart to couple up with your character’s strengths to boost the stats even more or whether you use it to balance out your character’s weakness.
Each kart comes with its own set of stats based on speed, acceleration, weight, handling, traction/grip, and mini-turbo. So, when it comes to picking the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe best kart, there’s quite a lot that needs to be taken into consideration. This level of detail is perhaps surprising given that, on the exterior, it looks like a simple race-and-win game.
Overall though, the game is pretty balanced in stats, so we won’t focus on a tier list here with each kart having its own positives and negatives. Subjectively, it depends what you want to focus your attention on and how you like to play. It’s all about having fun, right? Well, we’ve got some recommendations below for the best kart setup as well as some tips on how to race better in your kart
The best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kart setup
As mentioned, it’s not just the kart that determines what will hopefully earn you a place on the podium. You’re also going to want to consider the weight of your character, their pros and cons, and what kind of tires you equip. Your glider choice doesn’t seem to have much bearing on your overall performance, so we won’t focus too much on that. Paper, flower, or parachute are some great picks though.
For the best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kart setup, we’d opt for a combination of a heavy character at the wheel, such as Donkey Kong, Bowser, or Morton. Their weight sacrifices some acceleration but shines when it comes to handling and traction. Pair this with the Pipeframe, Biddybuggy, or Streetle, which are excellent choices for karts that can offer you that missing acceleration and speed without losing out too much on the traction and grip.
There are 22 kinds of tires to choose from. A lot, right? Well, for this setup, we’d recommend either the rollers or leaf tires. They’re great for a higher acceleration boost as well as improving the handling, which picks up the slack for anything the kart or character may be lacking.
There’s variations to this setup that you might feel play better, but if you’re looking to cover all the bases, this is what we’d recommend.
What else can help your Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kart?
Simply put, boosting (or mini-turbo). Racing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not all about speed, but it certainly helps. Thankfully, there’s a few different options for performing boosts in the game that, if used correctly, can give you a real advantage on other players.
First up, there’s the starting line boost. From the offset, you can utilise a boost from the word go. To do this, you press and hold down the accelerator when the number two appears in the starting countdown. Performed correctly, you’ll boost ahead of your opponents. Used incorrectly, you’ll suffer a stall that could set you back a little bit.
There’s also the drift boost. To perform this, hold down the R button round corners whilst still steering with the analog stick to keep on track. The boost then builds up as you clear the corner and can be released by letting go of R to leave your competitors in your dust. There’s three levels – the mini-turbo, super mini-turbo, and ultra mini-turbo, depending on how well you perform it.
Next up, there’s the stunt boost. Whilst heading over ramps or bumps in the track, players can also press the R button to hop a little higher which can give you an extra boost.
And, if you fancy it, you can take advantage of a slipstream by positioning yourself behind another player long enough to get boosted by the air they are generating behind them. Not quite the boost of the rest, but still something that can help you zip ahead in your kart.
That’s everything we’ve got on the best kart in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. As referenced a few times throughout, the choice of character will also have some leaning on the way your kart performs in what is arguably one of the best Nintendo Switch games. Yahoo!
