Mario Kart 8 and its deluxe iteration have been around for almost a decade. And yet, the game continues to give players new discoveries. Not just in the form of the many new tracks in the Booster Course Pass DLC, but also in the form of discoveries on older tracks. Even on the oldest tracks, drivers keep finding new shortcuts, optimal driving lines, and improved tactics. So, why not go back to where it all began, and discuss the best shortcuts, tips, and tricks in 2023 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?
In this series, I list the best shortcuts and strategies per cup in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, predictably starting with the Mushroom Cup. For every shortcut and strategy, you’ll read which item you need (if any at all), how to deal with it on different ccs, and some general words of advice to outpace your adversaries. Without further ado, let’s a go!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pass is available on the Nintendo Switch for $84.98
Also, check out the guides on other cups!
Mario Kart Stadium
For all the beginning courses in the entire Mario Kart franchise, Mario Kart Stadium is a surprisingly complex and diverse course. There are a few tight turns and loads of opportunities for a strategic mushroom.
Clever item use can make or break a Mario Kart Stadium run!
- In the very first corner, you can use a mushroom to take the turn quite a bit sharper! Make sure to avoid the pipe while taking the shortcut, but try to take the turn as tight as possible to maximize the shortcut. In 200 cc, you can partially take the shortcut without a mushroom. Charge a mini turbo and hop to cover part of the corner.
The first shortcut is right in the first corner.
- The second corner lets you take a similar shortcut. Use a mushroom, or possibly two, to take the turn as sharply as possible. However, if you need coins, it may be better to drive on the outside and grab those early. Here, too, you can charge a mini turbo and hop to cut through the corner in 200 cc.
The one thing better than one corner cut. Two corner cuts.
- Just to the left of the first corner in the anti-gravity section of the course, there is a small ramp you can trick off of. Use a mushroom to get to it and trick off of it to save some good time! A simple hop in 200 cc will give you enough speed to easily make it to the ramp.
The ramp is simple to reach and saves a nice few seconds.
- Would you look at that, another corner skip! Use the mushroom to skip this turn entirely, giving you a quick edge over the competition. Alternatively, you can charge a mini turbo and do a hop to save a little bit of time. Of course, this will also work in 200 cc.
You can also hop here when you have a miniturbo built up.
- The major shortcut in Mario Kart Stadium is right at the end. As you glide down from the booster ramp, you can use a mushroom to cut the large turn at the end, saving you considerable time. If you have spare mushrooms, this is the time to use them. They may well win you the race. In 200 cc, you can aggressively hold left when drifting off the glider ramp to glide over the entire section to the finish line. Just make sure you don’t get out of bounds and remind Lakitu why he has a job to do.
Hold hard left, have your mushrooms ready, and you have a massive skip right here.
Water Park
Water Park is a fairly simple and straightforward course. Its main feature is the combination of anti-gravity and underwater driving, which makes for a fun experience. Bump into the moving device on the rail whenever it shows up since it gives you a small turbo whenever you touch it.
Use bumping in the anti-gravity zone to your advantage in Water Park.
- Water Park is quite a boring course when it comes to shortcuts. The best practices apply, of course, but the only real shortcut comes up at the carousel, in the final turn. Instead of going the long way around, simply use a mushroom to boost through the center, skipping the turn entirely. You can even trick off of it to gain some additional speed. Especially in time trials, this spot is a no-brainer to use your mushroom on. In 200 cc, you can also hop over here, or use a mini-turbo if you’ve had the opportunity to create one.
Save your Water Park mushrooms for this shortcut.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
Sweet Sweet Canyon is the first course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the first real split paths option. Other than that, it offers ample drift opportunities and features a very clear mushroom shortcut. Use the wide turns of this map to charge powerful ultra mini turbos. There is more than enough space for it.
The wide turn in Sweet Sweet Canyon are excellent for long and powerful drifts.
- The first real choice to make in Sweet Sweet Canyon is to pick the blue path to the left or the pink path to the right. The right path to take is the blue path. The pink path is a little faster, and the current world record uses that path, so online most people will go for that. That gives you space to maneuver in the other path, which makes it way faster. The best practice here is simply to go where the least other drivers go.
Try to fool your competition into taking the other path.
- On the split paths, there is a small section where the innermost part of the corner is covered in frosting. Use a mushroom to cut it. Or, simply hop over it. This works in both 150 and 200 cc.
- Guess what – the split paths are mirrored! So you can cut the frosting on the blue path, and you can do it on the pink path too.
Corner skips are always worth it.
- Finally, the big hitter here is once again at the end. Use a mushroom to drive through the obvious donut hole, cutting the corner and saving you a massive amount of time. If you only had a single mushroom, I would use it here. You can do this shortcut shroomless, however, it’s quite difficult. Charge a mini turbo and hop at the exact right time to launch yourself through the donut hole.
Ah, Sweet Sweet Canyon’s obvious mushroom spot.
Thwomp Ruins
Thwomp Ruins is the grand finale of the Mushroom Cup, and it is riddled with shortcuts and split paths. The shortcuts here can be risky, as failing them can see you plummeting down, but in a close race, the risk might just be worth it. Make sure to stack up on coins before trying the risky ones, so that little boost they give may just make the difference.
Thwomp Ruins has lots of tight turns and tricks. Carefully balance risk versus reward!
- Right after the finish line, there’s a ramp in the offroad you can trick off of. This is more for laps two and three since owning a mushroom at that point is pretty unlikely. Unless you’re doing time trials, of course. On 200 cc you can reach this ramp without a mushroom, but the angle can be fairly tricky.
This ramp is far out and easy to miss. Use a mushroom to get to it!
- The first split path lets you choose between the floor and the wall. The wall is the better option, although it’s easy to miss the coins when someone else drives in front of you. Like Sweet Sweet Canyon, the best place to drive is wherever most drives aren’t.
Like Sweet Sweet Canyon, go wherever the least amount of people go.
- In the second lap, the glider section opens up. Always take this! It’s way faster than driving on either wall.
Full steam ahead!
- Before it opens up, however, there is an alternative to driving on the wall, and that’s to drive through the water. It’s mind-blowing how much slower the walls are – enter the water at an angle so you can charge up a turbo and outspeed your opponents.
Notice your angle here, it makes all the difference.
- When you emerge from the cave, you can skip the turn by performing a gap jump. This one is risky, so be careful when using it. However, it is still a shortcut, and it can help you win the race. In 200 cc, this jump is much easier and you can afford a bigger risk by drifting and hopping earlier.
This is a risky corner cut – only go for it when you’re confident you can make it.
- In the final turn, there is a massive shortcut that you can easily take without a mushroom. Look at the side of the road to find a little tilted platform you can trick off of to outrace anyone who takes the long way around.
This shortcut is so useful, it’s almost mandatory.
- After the glide section, land on either of the platforms to the side to get an easy coin and a nice extra tricking opportunity to extend your glider time.
Free coin. More glider. Profit!
And that’s all the shortcuts that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Mushroom Cup has to offer! Comment your favorite shortcut spots and strategies down below, and don’t forget to check out the other strategies and shortcuts for the other cups! See you next time for the diverse Flower Cup!
