You’ve seen the roster. It’s massive. When Mario Kart Tour first dropped in 2019, we had a handful of basics, but now the game is a sprawling museum of Nintendo history. Honestly, it’s overwhelming. Most people just pick the character that looks the coolest—maybe a Gold Dry Bowser or that specific Peach alt with the giant explorer hat—but if you’re trying to actually climb the ranked ladder, your choice of mario kart tour characters is basically the difference between a 10,000-point run and a 40,000-point monster score.
It’s all about the "Frenzy."
In the console versions like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, your character choice mostly affects weight classes and drifting stats. In Tour, it’s a numbers game. You aren't just racing; you're managing a portfolio of drivers. If you don't have a "Top Tier" driver for a specific track, you can't get a Frenzy. No Frenzy? No chance. That’s why the meta is constantly shifting.
The Skill Gap Most People Ignore
Let’s talk about Coin Box drivers. They’re the undisputed kings. If you’ve spent any time in the community, you know that characters like Gold Mii Racing Suit or Peach (Vacation) are prized because the Coin Box special item is broken. It literally vomits points onto the track. You drive through them, your combo stays alive, and your score skyrockets.
But here is where it gets tricky.
Newer players often sleep on Giant Banana or Boomerang Flower characters. They’re high-risk. A Boomerang driver, like Larry (Wintertime), can be a total dud unless you’re trailing behind a Coin Box bot. If you timing it right—the "Boombox" maneuver—you can vacuum up every single coin another driver drops. It feels like cheating. It isn't. It's just math.
Sentence lengths in this game's strategy vary as much as the tracks themselves. Some people play for the vibes. Others play for the Tier 80 rewards. If you're the latter, you need to understand that not all High-End drivers are created equal. Some have "coverage" that spans thirty tracks, while others are basically digital paperweights after their debut tour ends.
Why Bowser’s Minions Rule the Ranked Cups
Ever wonder why you keep seeing Kamek or Meowser at the top of the leaderboards? It isn't just because they look intimidating. It’s the track coverage. Nintendo tends to give certain "villain" characters a ridiculous amount of favored tracks.
The game uses a "Favored" (Tier 2) and "Favorite" (Tier 3) system. On a Tier 3 track, your character gets three item slots. This is the only way to trigger a Frenzy. If you’re using a Tier 2 character, you’re basically handicapping yourself. You could be the best drifter in the world, but if you’re only pulling two items at a time, a mediocre player with a Tier 3 driver will smoke your score every single time. It's kinda brutal, actually.
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The Rise of the Mii Racing Suits
For a long time, the Miis were a joke. People hated them. They felt like they didn't belong in the Mario universe, and their animations were a bit stiff. Then Nintendo did something sneaky: they added a permanent base point boost for every Mii suit you own.
Think about that.
If you own 50 Mii suits, your base points for any Mii character you use are significantly higher than a standard Mario or Donkey Kong. This created a massive power creep. Now, at the highest levels of play, the mario kart tour characters that actually dominate aren't even the iconic ones; they’re the Miis dressed up like dolphins or burgers.
It’s weird. It’s quirky. It’s very Nintendo.
The Problem with "City" Drivers
We have to talk about the trap. City tracks—like London Loop, New York Minute, or Tokyo Blur—only appear occasionally. Characters that are specifically buffed for these tracks are often called "City Drivers."
Usually, you should avoid sinking your High-End Level Boost tickets into these guys. Why? Because you might not see that track again for six months. A driver like Pauline was the face of the game at launch, but her track coverage is notorious for being "City heavy." Unless you just love her aesthetic, she’s a bad investment for your precious resources.
On the flip side, "Permanent" drivers—the ones who show up on regular tracks like Choco Mountain or Dino Dino Jungle—are the backbone of a solid roster. You want drivers that show up often. You want versatility.
Leveling Up: The Math of Point Cap Tickets
It isn't enough to just own the character. You have to feed them.
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When you use a Level Boost ticket, you’re increasing the "Frenzy" chance and the bonus points multiplier. A Level 1 High-End driver has a 0% bonus points boost. A Level 8 driver has a 7x multiplier. It’s a massive jump.
- Level 1-3: The "I just started" phase.
- Level 4-6: The competitive sweet spot. This unlocks "Hidden" tracks that aren't available at Level 1.
- Level 7-8: The whale territory. This is where the real point-scoring happens.
Managing these tickets is the hardest part of the game. Most players panic and spend them the moment they get stuck in a ranked cup. Don't do that. Wait until the last day. See if you actually need to level up your character to take first place. If the person in first is 10,000 points ahead of you, a single level boost probably won't bridge the gap. Save your tickets for a fight you can actually win.
Lucky Seven and Other "A-Tier" Skills
If you can't get a Coin Box driver, the Lucky Seven is your next best friend. Characters like Nabbit or Chargin' Chuck (Gold) use this. It circles your kart with seven different items. If you use it in a crowd, you hit everyone, get a speed boost, and rack up "action" points like crazy.
It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It works.
Understanding the "Daily Selects" and the Shop
The shop is where dreams go to die, or where rosters get built. You’ll see mario kart tour characters rotating in the Spotlight Shop. Some cost 150 rubies. Some cost 100.
Is a driver worth 150 rubies?
Honestly, usually not unless they fill a massive hole in your coverage. Before you buy, you should check a coverage spreadsheet. There are community-made tools (like the ones found on the Mario Kart Tour subreddit or various Discord servers) where you can input your current roster. These tools will tell you exactly which new character will give you the most "New" Tier 3 tracks.
Don't buy because of the hype. Buy because of the utility.
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The Aesthetic vs. Meta Debate
I get it. You want to play as King Boo because he’s awesome. And you should! The game is supposed to be fun. But if you’re frustrated because you can’t get past Tier 40, you have to embrace the meta.
The most successful players treat their character list like a toolbox. You don't use a hammer for a screw. You don't use a Mushroom Cannon character for a high-score run on a narrow track. You adapt.
Navigating the End of Content Updates
Since late 2023, the game has moved into a "looping" phase. We aren't getting new tracks or brand-new characters every two weeks anymore. For some, this was a letdown. But for savvy players, this is actually a blessing.
Why? Because the "meta" is now fixed.
We know exactly which mario kart tour characters are the best because the track rotations are predictable. There’s no more guessing if a new character will be good or not. We have the data. We know that the "Plus Skill" Miis and the Gold High-Ends are the safest bets for long-term success. You can plan your ruby spending months in advance now.
Actionable Strategy for Building Your Roster
Stop spending rubies on every shiny new thing. Focus on "Plus Skill" drivers first. These are drivers with Coin Box, Giant Banana, Boomerang Flower, or Lucky Seven.
- Check your current coverage for the next three Tours (since they repeat).
- Identify which tracks you have "zero" Top Tier coverage for.
- Target one "Plus Skill" driver that covers multiple "zero coverage" tracks.
- Invest your Level Boost tickets into that one driver rather than spreading them thin across five different characters.
- Prioritize Mii Suits when they are on sale for 70-100 rubies to build that permanent base point buff.
The game has changed from a frantic race to a strategic resource management sim. If you treat your drivers like investments, you'll find yourself winning way more often. Look at your roster today. See who hasn't been used in months. Those are your lessons. Look at who you use every single week. Those are your champions. Feed them.
Maximize your base points by using your daily XP limit. It’s tedious, sure, but those extra 100-200 points on your base stat are multiplied by your driver level and the track's point potential. Over a two-lap race, that adds up to thousands of points. Don't leave them on the table. Every point counts when the ranked rewards are on the line.