Finally, the grand final to the original 4 Mario Kart 8 cups is here! The Special Cup is no joke, with some of the toughest and most penalizing courses in them. All the more reason to take any help you can get, and keep your eyes open for any shortcuts or strategies these unforgiving tracks have to offer. And fortunately for you, there are quite a few! This article goes over all the shortcuts, strategies, and best practices of every single course of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Special Cup. You’ll also read which item you need for a shortcut (if any at all), how to deal with it on 200 cc compared to 150 cc, and some general words of advice to get you swiftly and safely from start to finish. Let’s dive right in!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pass is available on the Nintendo Switch for $84.98.
Also, check out the guides on other cups!
Cloudtop Cruise
Cloudtop Cruise is a weird track. You don’t need any items for the fastest paths in this course. So you have the luxury to use mushrooms to dodge items – like blue shells!
There’s only one real shortcut on Cloudtop Cruise, and it doesn’t even require an item!
- The first major decision you have to make on Cloudtop Cruise is whether or not to bounce on the mushroom and cut a corner. Definitely bounce and trick off of the mushroom. It gives you a nice speed boost and aligns you well for the remainder of the course.
A free trick boost? Don’t mind if I do!
- Much like Mount Wario, it may be appealing to just follow the boost panels not struck by lightning, even if they’re on the far side. However, if you just hug the left wall and charge up a mini turbo, you clear this section more easily.
Tighter turns are always better.
- The major shortcut at Cloudtop Cruise comes right at the end. Charge a miniturbo to get to the leaves and trick off of them. You don’t need a mushroom on either 150 or 200 cc. This will cut the corner and give you a nice boost – easy as pie!
The only real shortcut – and it doesn’t even require a mushroom!
Bone-Dry Dunes
Researching the many shortcuts and options you have to traverse Bone-Dry Dunes gave me a newfound appreciation for this course. It’s a strategy bonanza!
Bone-Dry Dunes may seem barren, but there are shortcuts aplenty!
- Right off the bet, the very first corner happens to be one you can cut with a mushroom! You may not have one in the first lap, but who knows what items are at your disposal later! In time trials, I’d recommend saving your mushrooms for a better moment, but you can still use them here.
Start things off right by cutting a corner!
- This one is obvious. Use a mushroom to charge right through the middle and trick off of the ramp for a quick boost.
If you have a mushroom, this is a great spot for it.
- On the split path, you’re going to want to go with the one on the wall. The reason for that is that by using a drift on the booster ramp, you can reach the upper half of the next section, which is way faster. On the second lap, if you have mushrooms, you’ll want to prioritize the ground section.
The anti-gravity boosts are nice, too.
- That’s mainly because there’s a really nice corner cut here. Use a mushroom to cut through the sand, saving you considerable time.
If you take the lower path, use a corner cut to shave some time off your lap.
- Way at the end, there’s a huge shortcut where you can cut through the offroad to eke out a win at the last second. Just be careful to not hit the Dry Bones or the bones in the sand – they can turn the shortcut into a virtual death trap.
Cut the final corner to get a last second victory!
- The upper part of this section can be tricky to reach in the first lap, but it’s pretty manageable later on. Just trick of off the rising sand to get the speed you need to reach this section.
The upper part of this section is a lot faster! It’s worth aiming for.
Bowser’s Castle
You can shred records on this circuit by strategically using your items and aligning yourself just right. Bowser’s Castle is made for speed!
Tight turns make for great shortcuts.
- Near the gigantic Bowser statue, take the right path. A cool thing you can do in the early part of the split paths is use a hop to switch paths, tricking players and items alike. However, this is also the path where you can do a great, but risky shortcut.
Take the right path for a very challenging shortcut.
- Charge a blue mini-turbo just after hitting the boost path and hop off to cut the anti-gravity corner in this section. This is an extremely difficult shortcut that I’ve never managed to pull off, but it’s certainly possible. You don’t need a mushroom for this.
Charge a mini turbo and hop to cut the corner. It’s very difficult, but worth training.
- Use a mushroom to cut through the offroad, shaving a nice few seconds off your lap.
Good old, reliable corner cut. By far the best spot in Bowser’s Castle for a mushroom.
- Take the ramp on the far side and trick off of it for a nice last-second boost. Who knows who you can outpace at the last second.
Take a wide turn to trick off the ramp just before the finish line.
Rainbow Road
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Rainbow Road is generally seen as a more average Rainbow Road, but it does have one of the most risky yet rewarding shortcuts in the entire game.
Rainbow Road isn’t the most exciting, but it’s got one of the best split paths in the game.
- Cut through the off-road section in the space station with a mushroom. A nice straightforward shortcut every now and then is a great change of pace.
This one’s clear as day. Use a mushroom to cut through the offroad.
- Take the path to the right. You need to be on this path to pull off the great shortcut that follows.
Take the right path. It contains a massive shortcut that’s worth risking
- While you’re on the right path, charge a mini-turbo and let go at an angle. Aim towards the sign that reads “Special Cup.” Hit the boost while you’re drifting to place yourself at the proper angle, and drift off the road. You’ll land on the other path, completing a massive cut. Use a mushroom to skip the offroad you face now to save even more time.
This is a shortcut worth learning.
- At the final turn, hug the left side of the road to charge the fastest mini turbo. The boost pads may seem nice, but they’re out of your way and considerably slower. I’d recommend leaving them be.
You know the game. Hug the left side of the corner.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of the Special Cup, and of the original 16 nitro tracks in Mario Kart 8! Comment your favorite shortcuts and strategies down below, and don’t forget to check out the other shortcuts and strategies articles. Thanks for checking out this series!
