NEW Best Combos in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! [October 2023]

[@Shortcat321]

For once, we have a full Splatoon (ink) combo, full animal crossing combo (streetle OR city tripper, leaf tires, paper glider), and full tanooki combo, and they are ALL optimal!!

[@galactic3]

🎉

[@Lol-zc1vd]

Are you J Perm?

[@Sturmpd]

I wish Villager (F) was the same stats as Villager (M), so that both are meta. I like female villager’s design much more than male villager’s. (Same applies with the Inklings, but to a lesser degree as I don’t play them that often)

[@Paperboy01234]

@@SturmpdYou could always use Inkstriker for Female Villager to make up for lack of speed, you’d be getting 5 Mini-Turbo points instead of the coveted 5.25, however.

[@meee_5155]

unfortunate that full wiggler is not optimal cause its funny

[@CreationMyths]

This was great, and the overall “it’s really balanced, play with what you like” message is exactly right.

[@drakejoshofficialyoutubech5569]

True, though I still think that it's best to limit your off meta picks to one per combination. To use myself as an example, the Blue Falcon is my favorite kart despite it being kinda bad, so whenever I use it I always use Daisy/King Boo and Rollers just so that I'm not at too much of a disadvantage.

[@Maxi-Gonz.]

Now I can play my fav combo with decent stats: Ma' girls Daisy or Rosie + Wild Wiggler + Roller/Standard + Paper Glider. Or just go full _Wiggler Gaming!_ combo: Wiggler + Wild Wiggler + Standard + Flower

[@Shortcat321]

​@@drakejoshofficialyoutubech5569I wouldn't agree in the past, but after wave 5 I agree with this. All the high mini turbo parts are good now (except wild wiggler vehicle and some characters), so to go "off meta", you are probably sacrificing tons of mini turbo. Doing this for 2 parts of your combo is a big loss

[@chimmychuck]

​@@Shortcat321are you j-perm

[@Chlebqowyyyyyyyy]

@@chimmychuck What???

[@Kurayamiblack]

Yoshi's Island being a course, Yoshi being meta, Kamek being added to the game and Kamek's horn sounding like the speech sfx from the game. Man, the SNES Yoshi's Island game is getting a lot of representation lately and I'm 10,000% here for it.

[@SweetMelaninn]

*a lot

[@dirtymoneyyyy]

I like how wigglers horn is his angry steam horn that played when he got hit in mk7

[@NLookabill94]

Agreed!!! Such a good game!! And the fact that it's getting this much love made me wanna use yoshi more nowadays

[@tedscheett9420]

I love it when I can make a fashionable combination that is also functional. Since there are so many viable options now, I'm glad that I'll be able to do that.

[@Fletchronome]

This is top tier content, Shortcat. Genuinely. You’re a blessing to this community! I’ve personally been rocking with Daisy, Master Cycle Zero, Rollers (or Sponge if I want hella traction), and Paper glider. This combo feels better to me than literally anything else that’s come before it.

[@Shortcat321]

Thank you!!

[@jamesvaden3703]

So in essence just looking at the updated stats, I can definitely see the W25 Silver Arrow, Standard Bike, Flame Rider, and Wild Wiggler receiving a +1 speed+mt and a +1 mini turbo increase in the final patch just so it statistically evens out with the current meta and makes the Wild Wiggler a contender in the meta once again without the worries of outrageously dominating the rest 💯🔥👍🏽

[@Shortcat321]

Honestly I think waluigi wiggler was the problem. I would not mind the wiggler vehicle getting a buff since it's super cute, especially with a lightweight like koopa troopa

[@timothypickarski5234]

I know inside drift isn’t as good in 8 but im glad the Yoshi bike allows for me to play inside drift with optimal stats. It’s a good skill to learn and spices up the gameplay/how you approach tracks!

[@JennieYGO]

i picked yoshi bike recently without using it before and was super shocked and had to quickly adapt 😭 was a nice switch up though!

[@charlestetreault739]

The yoshi bike is great, but it is a beast to control! I've been using some of the less optimal inside drifters (like flame rider) since they don't feel quite as different from outside drift. Maybe that can help to bridge the gap until the yoshi bike can become a comfortable addition to my kart-combo arsenal.

[@craigstephenson7676]

@@charlestetreault739that’s exactly what I love about the Yoshi bike. I’m way better at the Teddy buggy but playing inside drift is way more fun, it feels like I’m playing the game on hard mode, and the lines also just make more sense to me

[@xennon1706]

I've been using Rosalina, Yoshi bike, rollers and clouds since day 1 and its nice to see them become more optimal

[@Shortcat321]

If I redid this video I'd at least throw in a quick comment about inward bikes, since I forgot about them! But pretty much just the yoshi/comet bike are good anyway so it's a simple choice. I'm still bad at using them but I'm glad you are dedicated!

[@val-8073]

I'm not even a MK player, I just enjoy listening to your voice lol. Keep it up

[@taranciucgabrielradu]

Bro the editing and video quality on this is super for a channel this new and this size. Keep up the work, I never have played Mario Kart since the DS version but I absolutely enjoy your videos and your presentation

[@Dogysamich]

Aaaaaayoooo, random casual passer-byer here! Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this video! I've found this info over time, but haven't figured out exactly what's useful to know and why. This video helps put so many things in perspective! I'm surprised to hear this isn't a normal thing around here!~ I would totally be down for some more, and will be on the lookout to see if you wind up following through with it! Thanks again!

[@Shortcat321]

Hey! Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it. I'll definitely make more if there are future changes

[@Selucreh-FB]

this was a the video i was looking for not just what kart combos are better but a full vid showing the best for each class (character, kart, wheels, and glider) thx man :)

[@nathanblackburn1193]

The "optimal" character and kart combo really only matters for like time trials and even then only on certain tracks due to layouts (obviously) varying making certain builds better or worse, in regular races with items flying around it won't make that much of a difference and if you get unlucky with spiny shells or whatever it doesn't matter how "optimal" your build is

[@Shortcat321]

It definitely makes a difference online, but mostly if you're at the same level as other people. The best way to improve your results, especially if you are below 10k points, is to practice shortcuts and defensive item play!

[@TroboTicTac]

No, mini turbo matters a LOT online You are not winning without a good kart

[@XenoPon2]

This is a very good/clear video, As someone who doesn't bother with making "the best" combo i have never looked into this and just picked my favorite character Pre dlc, (Dry bones) And when i got curious and looked online for these stats it was very unorganized (imo) This is a clear video and removing the unchanged stats made it way less cluttered. Good job 👍

[@jismeraiverhoeven]

yeah the online stats are very unorganized, so i made a word where i organized their stats

[@Bryan.Hernandez]

This was by far the best breakdown of the balance patch video out there. 👏🏼

[@daveprice5911]

Loved this video, I don't know much about higher level mk gameplay and stuff like this stat crunching really gives some cool insight yknow I mean in general you're constantly explaining what you're doing and why you're doing it and why it's beneficial anyway which is what I think draws in outsiders to these videos so easily, but still.

[@claybals]

sososo glad they changed more!! love that theyre keeping it fresh and trying not to make something a 'main' combo :D

[@LuminoX688]

These videos really are helpful I already knew 90% of that but I still learned some minor differences on stats It surely will help more beginner-level players though !

[@jillg4959]

i love your vids so much shortcat, theyre always so entertaining and its fun to watch you play! its v nice to see you make different styles of videos, like this one, the time trials one, and challenges online!

[@Shortcat321]

Thank you!!

[@almostambidextrous]

Big fan of the more "nerdy" analytical videos and I love the spreadsheet (did you create it yourself? well done if so)

[@vyseskies]

This is by far the best video explaining about the balance changes, everything makes more sense now. Looking forward to another video like this one when wave 6 releases.

[@eljugadorescaldenc4002]

I'm played The Mario Kart series since I was a child in the snew. Never thought I will finish watching meta videos about this game. Awesome work man.

[@jkae4795]

Amazing, all the information i wanted upon the release of the new wave!

[@DanielDeLeon69]

Shortcat Just Gotta Say, Your Mario Kart Videos Are The Best!👍👍👍

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

Yes

[@tangomango2353]

Yes!

[@SIimyGoblin]

Jperm

[@Roof_Gang]

@@SIimyGoblinprobably is bc otherwise he would’ve addressed it

[@mushroomking3401]

@@SIimyGoblin Who cares? His mario kart videos are grat!

[@Joerpg84]

Instant subscribe! Your knowledge has got me hyped and wanting to invest in Mario Kart 8. I was looking at other videos and websites…but nothing has come close to how in-depth your explanations are top tier. It’s so cool you point out all the changes that I did not realise how much depth this game has. Legend🎉

[@king_eziel]

PERFECT balance of detail and speed, got to the point and it was so clear! Would love more videos like these, great summaries as well.

[@joncross8483]

Great video man. Very clearly explained and you mic quality and vocal delivery are both really good as well. Makes for a very easy to watch explanation vid

[@jasons408]

I really appreciate you putting the images and not just the names cos for us guys who have the game in other languages it REALLY helps a lot!!

[@TotallyHaveAutealism]

The invisibility stat was actually introduced in Wave 3. Also, I believe Petey Piranha’s glider size is bigger because of his height.

[@Shortcat321]

Oh, you're right! Thanks for the correction

[@EmperorPenguin1217]

It is, his head is so damn big

[@Mr._Milou]

Petey also has a better invincibility stat than Metal Mario and PGPeach to make up for his size I believe :)

[@supergeorge8603]

Iggy has the same thing going on with his glider.

[@HopefulBlue]

This was a very useful video, the visuals and script were great at sharing the info effectively! Id enjoy seeing an informational Mario Kart vid from time to time!

[@林威岑-s6e]

I’m just going to say your videos makes me wanna play mk immediately after watching them! Keep making these amazing content my man!

[@rohaancubing]

Every video is just pure quality man🙌

[@Conning157]

Another day, another amazing shortcat video.

[@bing_k]

love the analysis video, keep it up! (I’ve been enjoying Villager F with city tripper and rollers, pretty stylish combo that performs quite well)

[@heroic_teddy]

The fact you called out all the meta folks at the end made me chuckle. Nothing wrong with using the best stuff, but it felt ridiculous going into rooms with nothing but Waluigi Wigglers, Yoshi Ink Strikers XD

[@rajeevsree-yt7vr]

That is so nice. Thank you for the SHORTCAT!!!

[@Kronozeit]

Love that the cuteness based shy guy build you made a while back is even better now.

[@Shortcat321]

maybe i would have won that race on riverside park with the extra speed

[@Syluxmaster]

I had no Idea that Mario Kart is this complicated. Great Video and really good explanations!

[@MidgetCat129]

Shortcat Video 21 0:00 Wave 5 General Updates 1:13 Balance Changes 3:03 How to Read Stats 4:03 Best Character 7:08 Best Kart 10:52 Best Tires 12:45 Best Glider 13:21 BEST COMBOS Thanks for helping with the timestamps Shortcat! ❤

[@TheRealTMB]

12:40 did anyone else notice that all the tires look like a smiley face? Cool detail (probably not on accident)

[@lelouchlamperougevibritann5414]

Never really cared about stats much but after the waluigi plague I had to look. Didn't realize my boy link and his bike had potential to compete. Cheers man

[@Dr.Barber]

I have been in dire need of this kind of video. It always seems like this is arcane knowledge that you need to dive into the depths of wikis to figure out. This made it pretty quick and painless not only to find the best stuff but to also optimize potentially worse stuff if it's just what you enjoy.

[@Oliver_Ferris_Part-Time_Ferret]

I'm hoping the Jet Bike gets some upgrade in the next wave, but I'm glad that the Yoshi Bike is still worth using, I'm obsessed with inside drift.

[@Lambda3141]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who loves the feel of inside drift!

[@h3r01cviii5]

respect to the people who use inside drift cause its SO hard to use optimaly

[@MichaelTaylor-qp2xf]

This video was very informative! I just started racing as Kamek because I like Kamek. I knew the Teddy Buggy and Roller had stats that fit my style and that the Cloud Glider was cute. I now know that I coincidentally stumbled into the game's best build!!

[@Shortcat321]

6th sense!

[@Michael-fj3zx]

This video was quite literally perfect, answered every single question ever

[@mr.brooks3143]

great video, now ive found my 2 favorite combos! tanooki mario, pipe kart, leaf tires, paper glider, and luigi, city trooper, rollers, cloud glider!

[@MoonlitFungus64]

Blue Falcon is always my favorite I'm always so happy when Nintendo remembers it's games like that

[@ethanlee571]

This was actually extremely helpful! I would love to see more videos like this in the future.I'm gonna go play with the full Animal Crossing combo now.

[@Rojorockwell_YT]

Even before the buffs, and before I started watching you, I used Black Yoshi, yoshi bike, slim (sometimes rollers), and normal/gold glider. It's crazy how my main for years got buffed in this update.

[@JeanfortDCLegend]

Great video, you're amazing in explaining all the categories ! Keep up the work 👍

[@Strawberry-zi5hx]

I'm currently using inkling boy with light blue color, tanooki kart and azure rollers to make up for the traction and it looks great with the blue, orange and black!

[@frickinfrick8488]

I’m glad this game is really well balanced so nobody is terribly disadvantaged if they don’t keep up with all of these hidden stats. But I’m also glad this complexity exists because it’s very interesting!

[@Shortcat321]

Perfectly put!

[@TooMuchDad]

One thing that could be really helpful in a video like this is helping conceptualize what the difference between stat points actually means. Like is 1 speed/mini turbo/whatever stat on a character, 1% better, 10%, etc. I’ve got no idea for most of em, and I feel like I’d be more able to follow it if that was true!

[@crazyfriend2388]

I like to use Iggy with the Clown Car for canonical purposes (I don’t like any specific wheel) so I’m glad to see that my boy is becoming even better now

[@SepHar58]

12:45 look it's a smiley!!!

[@nathaniellarkin6099]

You are my only form of knowledge on the patch notes so plz keep in on making videos like this it is so helpful

[@NotAnldiot]

I’ve loved Peter on the Pipe Frame with rollers and paper glider. It’s actually good and looks great.

[@Zyp__]

Definitely the best and most informative video on this i've seen yet! You're the best MK8D KZbinr!

[@PuncakeYT]

Wow, thanks for this video ! Like really, this is the first time on KZbin that I see somebody saying to play whoever you want ! I used to be a Lemmy main with Yoshi's bike and Leaf tires, and I stopped playing it because light weights seemed not that good in the "meta", but I almost forgot that I was better on this combo instead of playing ugly teddy buggy 😂 And the Google Sheet is very on point, I'm definitely gonna use it ! Thanks again ! 🙏 +1 Subscriber for sure

[@Shortcat321]

Glad youre sticking to your character! Being confident in your combo helps you focus on other important improvements too!

[@kierangilbert6951]

Since release I have played Isabelle with city tripper and roller with paper glider cos of aesthetics and absolutely nothing will change but I’m glad the city tripper is being buffed :)

[@UwULilyKitsune]

all this is very interesting and insightful and i have decided i am going to keep using cat peach sport bike cyber slick like i have for the last 4 waves :3

[@galacticstars_21]

So real for this because I refuse to get out of my Lemmy build because Lemmy is life 🎉❤

[@drakejoshofficialyoutubech5569]

I didn't know about the red shell targeting indicator change so I'm super glad I watched this video.

[@Kit-ux4vp]

yes! city bike has always been my favorite and now its viable!

[@liampbjray5562]

would be great to see some focus on good inside drift combos in the future. its rough out here as an inside drift main, no one ever talks about good combos lol.

[@Shortcat321]

I should have mentioned them! But pretty much just go yoshi bike. You'll also want to keep your handling stat high, so you cant go wrong with choosing yoshi and rollers

[@yann_ma]

Id like to see these informative videos again, you explain things very well and make it understandable to begginers

[@PavelR1]

Bro really came out of nowhere and became the best MK8DX in like a moth, actually insane!

[@idontreallyknowwhyididthis1957]

I've been really liking dry bones pipe frame and gla

[@kjfang5825]

As a Destiny 2 player, when you whipped out the spreadsheets I felt right at home lol

[@TheSynthisis]

I love Larry and Dry Bones, been my racers every time they are in game. Wish the street bike or retro bike were better though.

[@MozzarellaRules]

Finally some form of media that covers the numbers behind the wave 5 changes. Based and miniturbopilled. I wonder if inward drifting bikes will get some love in future patches, I love the yoshi bike to bits and has the same stats as the teddy buggy, but the lack of vision during drifting as well as the lesser control over your drift angle make them a risky choice online where everyone is bumping onto you and/or has the advantage of using a regular kart due to how the curves in a track are placed.

[@Shortcat321]

Inward drift definitely needs some quality of life changes. Another one I'd love is being able to hop to turn faster, and I don't know why it can't already do that. Also it can't super bounce, meaning you get a massive disadvantage on mushroom gorge. These changes don't even affect the spirit of inward drift. They're just details that the inward drift bikes lack for seemingly no reason

[@shironeko1843]

Thank you so much! All this time I've been playing MK8 with a friend, sharing the game (you know, Joycons), but know that I finally have my own game, with the update everything changed but coulnd't tale exactly what changed. It looked like a new game.

[@moonlight9562sheher]

I generally prefer your online races videos because they are more calming between the satisfying gameplay and your soft voice but I also enjoyed this video

[@stevieray9995]

Dude, best video I've seen on meta and stat breakdowns. You have to make another one for next wave!

[@Jaxax27]

I have been a Streetle and Leaf tire man for years now and now I'm being blessed for it!

[@pizzataco77]

My go-to setup has been Tanooki Mario, standard bike, roller, cloud glider since day one. I’m glad to see I’m getting a hidden buff I wasn’t expecting.

[@Shortcat321]

I really like standard kart with tanooki Mario because you get the nice pattern on the kart

[@akambatu]

As someone whom does not play Mario Kart, this is entertaining. Good video!!

[@bguy9962]

i love your simple editing yet entertaining commentary that carries me through all your videos!

[@Critr8710]

Yes def make more like this it was such a good vid u explained it perfectly

[@r.c.3813]

i really like this video. you made it really easy to understand what's good. i mainly wanted to know the karts, tires and glider section because i never knew what's actually good and i'm happy my trusted peach parasol is good though i should find a good kart and tire to go along with it. i hope we see more variety because it's really lame when people go for the best character with the best combo in a game like mario kart though it was funny to be the only shy guy in a room full of waluigi's.

[@rikvanobbergen3119]

Professor Shortcat comming through with the facts and analysis! Great video 😊

[@gar1ce942]

Thanks for the explanation :) Liked the smile with tires too

[@UFORelaxo]

I’m just glad the characters and kart combos I’ve been playing since the game came out are good.

[@Ragegamerix]

I can’t believe my combo that I alr used is now one of the best! Can’t wait to be not original anymore

[@mesh7777]

new sub bc of how good ur videos are

[@marrodc]

I just got back to playing MK8 Deluxe thanks to your videos, and the first combo I tried was inkling with ink striker (because I love Splatoon) so I was just flying through the track without knowing I had chosen one of the best combos lol

[@tobywinarto9479]

I love that this whole video just a flex on how clean that excel sheet is 😍

[@i_karcheuski]

For the split second that you showed the Mii editor, I took it upon me to screenshot that and recreate it :)

[@IanJulian02]

I love how cheerful you are, and I'm excited to hear that the game has been balanced to a place where for the general player, its more about your favorites than what is "meta."

[@CodyBones004]

Honestly, I'd be fine with whatever you wanna do. You're very informative and pleasant to listen to! I think randomized carts/drivers would be fun or streams or something :O

[@McBawse]

Big fan of Pipe frame, Streetle and Standard Kart aesthetically, so happy to go slightly below optimal for that

[@rautesth]

Was waiting for this. Thank you.

[@ThatOldMan2112]

I liked running Inkling Girl in a Splat Buggy with GLX tires and that squirrel glider. It's nicely rounded out on all stats. But then I heard about all this and went and tried just substituting Inkling Girl with Inkling Boy - and my stats for the build crashed. It just wasn't as good when I switched her out, so I just went back to what I was running before. Even managed a first place on the new LA track in a lobby full of people in the 14-15,000 range (I'm around 7,600).

[@therealpikopiko]

God bless this man for spending hours of his time explaining Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to us

[@anthoblast4678]

I always just use yoshi pipeframe standard cloud as i just like how it looks and plays so its nice to hear that its decently good

[@deebz22]

I was not expecting to play the new courses until August. In so happy with the early release

[@jayalriik7421]

Always repping my boy Luigi as a member of the younger but taller brother gang. This has given me some ideas for my next combos.

[@BlackCatCards]

absolutely amazing video, by far the best on this topic

[@treeecks]

i love ur vids shortcat thanks for this it was really helpful!!

[@nonimportant]

Good to know. I won’t use any of this cuz I dink around doing what I want but it’s neat to know the stats behind the parts and characters.

[@ThirtyDimensionedMissile]

For me roy, the in real life car wheels, teddy buggy and the squirrel kite is my favourite combo

[@Qwurx0]

I really hope the MK8D devs dont nerf Yoshi because it is what most people use. Personally I love Yoshi and their traction/MT combo and it is what I used even before it was the meta.