200cc (No Items) Vehicle & Technique Questions
8 years ago
Ontario, Canada

Hey all!

I'm fairly new to running MK8 and I've really gotten into the 200cc 48 tracks-no items category. I've watched (well, at least skimmed) through all of the top time videos for general strategies and whatnot and I have a few questions that aren't clearly answered by the videos for the 200cc/no item players out there:

  1. Are the best vehicles to use still the super heavyweight characters, along with slicks and the fastest karts? I have a bunch of people telling me that the fastest karts actually go so fast that you end up losing time because of having to brake too much and being unable to corner optimally, and that you're better off using a build that has better handling and mini turbo stats in order to jump between corners/straights the fastest. I don't know how reliable my sources are though (it's possible they're just bad at the game...), so I've been sticking with heavies & fast karts for now. Also applicable: Is there enough underwater time to warrant playing a build with a more balanced underwater to land speed stat than the super heavy builds have?

  2. Is fire hopping still beneficial on 200cc? I see it used about half of the time, and about half of the things I read online say it's still a must-do, whereas the other half say "it speeds your time up very, very, very slightly, but you lose way more time due to being unable to corner properly". What should I be looking to practice?

  3. Are there any reliable 200cc/no-items sources yet for the fastest routes through each track, or are we still in the testing phase? Most of the tracks are obvious, but some tracks have alternate paths or potential shortcuts where the difference seems to be minimal enough that I can't tell on my own due to inconsistent play. I realize if my times make the routes vary that little then it doesn't really matter, but I still want to be practicing the optimal play patterns.

Thanks to anyone that can offer advice to a newcomer! :)

Netherlands

1: You can use heavy characters as long as you dont use the fastest car/wheels since it will make it too fast, thus losing time in cutting corners and braking too much. Most people tend to use either the class under heavy, or heavy with less faster car combo's

2: Fire hopping isnt really beneficial anymore but it still can be used over the really long straight ways but if you mess up you might lose more time than not doing it.

3: Because there are so many different routes there is no way of saying which is the fastest so I cant really be of much help there. Obviously it best to get good at the easier routes and get consistent with that, and then move over to implementing newer routes/strats.

Ontario, Canada

Awesome! By the sounds of it then using something with a speed stat around 3.75-4.25 is probably better than 4.25-5, I'll look around for a combo that I do well with!

Something else that has occurred to me: Are cars and outer-driving bikes the best or are inner drifting bikes fine since fire hopping isn't as beneficial anymore? I seem to be able to do the best with more balanced speed and mini-turbo set ups like Villager (F) + Comet + Slick + Cloud Glider or Rosalina + Master Cycle + Roller + Cloud Glider, but they lack the ability to drift though some turns since inner drifting is too sharp. Again, even though I do the best with those I'd rather force myself to learn outer drifters if they're just flat out better like in 150cc.

Thanks for the answers, I really appreciate the help! The 200cc community seems to be tiny so us new people can get a little lost. :)

Netherlands

Bikes are generally the better choice since they allow for tighter turns and for hopping isnt that beneficial anymore indeed.