Mount Wario

History:

Years ago Wario had thoroughly explored the Shivering Mountains, and so, seeking to capitalize on recent trends in extreme sports, purchased some land on one of the Peaks, re-named it after himself, and created a ski resort. This naturally devolved into a full racetrack, even though there was no practical loop to be seen. Another proprietor may have failed, but Wario was persistent and threatening enough to push through his insane new track idea. He eventually handed operation of the track over to his pal, Waluigi, who fell on pretty hard times after his Pinball and Stadium projects fell apart with no real adventuring background to fall back on.

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Wario was an interesting choice to take over a track like this, especially since it owes so much to DK Pass and DK Summit, being a long sloping snowy mountain track. In particular it's a lot like DK Summit with its Winter Sport theme. But really it goes beyond that, being the only track in Mario Kart history that doesn't loop and one of only a handful of courses that are broken up into sections rather than laps (the others being both Wuhu Tracks, the 7 Rainbow Road and 8's remake of 64 Rainbow Road). Only Mount Wario, though, has different music playing for each section.

The first section is very typical to DK Pass, consisting of a helicopter jump (okay, not that part), but then a twisty wind down the peak of the mountain into a rocky valley. Next we have a large anti-gravity ice cave as well as a large Damn in section two. Finally, the last section primarily comprises a downhill ski slope that's a lot like the final section of DK Summit, but of course, that one had snowboarders. There are other sections such as a treacherous snow forest that allows for plenty of multiple paths along with both underwater and the Wario Dam processing plant, which makes for some really diverse racing. It's a definite Frosty Track, but gets its own section here for just how extensive and weird it is, as well as how much more it has in common with DK Tracks and Wuhu Tracks.

The Ghost here is Waluigi, who uses the Duke, in its only Time Trial appearance, with Monster Tires and the Wario Wing in 2:06.283. The Duke doesn't really add any special stats, but the traction of the Monster Tires is pretty helpful here. You may not actually get a better combo that preserves land and anti-gravity speed while retaining traction, but you can go another route, using a lightweight that has a higher base traction to begin with. Then add some wheels for pure speed that sacrifice a little traction in this slippery course.

Electrodome

History:

Not all of Bowser's fake children were as dumb as they seemed. Well, they were all pretty dumb, but when some happened to stumble upon good fortune, they were exceptional at exploiting it rather than let it fall by the wayside. Such was the case when Larry Koopa found himself trapped in an investment in a little known nightclub on the fringes of the Dark Land. Be it ignorance or be it his actual ability to read trends, he eventually transformed the joint into the hottest disco in the Mushroom World. Naturally when Bowser began ordering his fake children to get some race courses to their name, Larry turned his only source of capital, the Electrodome, into an insane race course. It's now populated with all sorts of residents of the Dark Land, such as Shy Guys, Koopa Troopas, and Piranha Plants, who jam and throb to the ever present beat as much as they like to beat on plumbers. This of course has led to all sorts of moral and legal problems, but since the high authority is Lord Bowser himself, Larry is able to keep things running just fine.

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The Electrodome is a wild track. It's theme is similar to 7's Music Park, in that it's a relatively enclosed course (also a rare, nearly all-indoors track) that's more impossible than practical. It's also definitively based around music and at some points Karts can play notes by driving over special areas. What really makes the Electodome stand out though, is its insane use of anti-gravity that makes looking at a map of the course give you a headache. There are some insane turns and multiple paths here that go upside-down, loop around, and culminate in a massive air jump. There's no water here, but be wary of pools of static that can just as easily drown a hapless racer.

The Staff Ghost here is Larry Koopa for reasons that completely escape me and instead seem like a solid space filler. Larry is explicitly the youngest Koopaling, maybe it was an attempt to capitalize on his fleeting youth spent all night in a dance club. Anyway, he uses the Sport Bike with Monster Wheels and Super Glider in 2:24.747 which is a really fast combination. Handling between the Bike and the Wheels cancels out though, meaning he doesn't get much of a boost there beyond his already impressive Lightweight handling. The same combo with a heavier racer and perhaps some Slim Wheels to improve both handling and ground / anti-gravity speed will be beneficial.

Dolphin Shoals

History:

As soon as the Koopalings got into the 2014 Grand Prix, Bowser set about finding them courses to suit their strengths and interests. Off one of the Koopa Troop Islands, near the Koopa Cape and now derelict Chain Chomp Wheel, lay a shallow shoal near a constantly spinning maelstrom that he thought perfect for his daughter, Wendy O. Koopa. He set about securing the rights to race there, but Wendy, in her haste, was able to push aside the meager Koopas who had a controlling interest in the shoal, and doing her father proud, proceeded to create a mind-numbing track, unfinished to the extent that a live Unagi was still settled there, complacent with being raced upon. Bowser hardly had the heart to tell her he was not her real father, but of course, being a maniacal Dark Lord, did so anyway.

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Dolphin Shoals is most similar to 7's Cheep Cheep Lagoon, which was the first track to feature significant underwater sections. That was just a brief taste, though, and a lot of that track is still either on a dry path or in a partially submerged cave with dryland route options. I strongly considered lumping this in with the Beach Tracks, but there's really no beach here, and it should be its own entity. Dolphin Shoals is entirely underwater save for an anti-gravity portion that emits from the eye of the malestrom into one of the most wicked vertical turns in the game, which leads to a brief air portion. There are also crazy parts with pipes blowing racers up and forward and the aforementioned Mega Unagi, perhaps one of the strangest materials to race on, who can spill you out if you hit its tail incorrectly.

The Staff Ghost here is Wendy O. Koopa, who clocks in at 2:19.160 using the Landship, Wood Wheels, and Bowser Kite, which is a thoroughly Bowser-like combination. Wendy was likely chosen here because of her appearance in the Beach World, making the aquatic realm of Dolphin Shoals a natural choice. The Landship is a great pick for her here, only the Steel Driver may do a little better in the brief ground and air portions, as well as giving some much needed traction in this difficult terrain. The Wood Wheels should be easily improved upon, though, the Roller family or Button Tires should give a little better submarine speed.

Sunshine Airport

History:

In the aftermath of Bowser Jr's invasion of Isle Delfino, tourism surged, so much so that the meager Delfino Airstrip could no longer handle the passenger load. The Piantas sought to craft a new, larger, more modern airport, and naturally Mario wanted in on the deal. Seeing that this vested interest could destabilize the industry, though, what with his heavy bias towards the Mushroom Kingdom as well as there existing an already corrupt monopoly on transportation in the Mushroom World exemplified by Toad, the one being who could out-finance Mario bought the rights to build the airport: Rosalina. Rosalina remains a co-owner while letting most of the profits go directly to the people of Isle Delfino, to Mario's chagrin.

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To me Sunshine Airport reeks of Coconut Mall: a race course through a heavily domestic institution, bright colors, multiple paths, and large air portions. But these similarities are really only cosmetic. Sunshine Airport is a pretty original track, consisting of what should be a simple loop that's complicated by subtle turns, navigating around and at times inside of a functioning airplane, as well as steep anti-gravity sections sandwiched by Air Jumps. For a Star Cup course it's not all that difficult, though it looks imposing. A careful hand to dodge the tires and boxes that get in the way along with an eye for those turns will bring success.

The Staff Ghost here is Rosalina with the Circuit Special, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider in 2:24.429. Rosalina is an interesting pick here, I suppose with Music Park going to Baby Daisy, both Rainbow Road courses going to Metal characters, and no signature track, this course with its fantastic air travel was the best fit. The Circuit Special, in its only Time Trials appearance, is going to be tough to beat, especially because Rosalina is naturally pretty fast. If you throw on some Slick tires though, you don't have to worry about any Water hazards here, you can get both the Ground and Air speed necessary to come out in first.

Toad Harbor

History:

Toad was always heavily involved in the Mushroom Kingdom's Highway System, and it was only natural that he eventually pulled some of these connections in the transportation department to get into the Trolley business. He installed the Trolleys in a small Harbor town, which he named after himself. Once he had a firm footing in the region he erected a giant Statue dedicated to Princess Peach, though some believe it was given to him by the French. The next step of course was to build a race track through the town. At this point Toad gave complete control of both the course and the Trolley system over to his lover, Toadette, who ran the show with such ruthless cunning and expertise it became immediately clear that it had been her plan all along.

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Toad Harbor is this real amalgamation of DS's Delfino Square, Wii's Daisy Circuit, 64's Toad's Turnpike, and 7's Shy Guy Bazaar. The course is cosmetically similar to Delfino Square with its tight, building-locked paths and steep hills and geographically similar to Daisy Circuit by the bay, particularly the starting line. The Trolleys replace the traffic from Toad's Turnpike but they function the same way. Finally the multiple routes and canvassed paths are reminiscent of Shy Guy Bazaar. These multiple paths make the course pretty interesting, like a streamlined Yoshi Valley but with paths taking up multiple levels vertically instead of a crisscrossed maze.

The course is also notable for being the only course without air and water sections, as well as anti-gravity sections that aren't mandatory. So it's really old school, pure Mario Kart racing. You know, like the first six installments. The Staff Ghost is Toadette in the Cat Cruiser, with the Retro Off-Road Wheels, and Plane Glider in 2:31.066. It's kind of strange that Toadette is the Ghost for a course named after Toad, but he's tied up on the Retro edition of his eponymous Turnpike. It's also the only Ghost appearance of the Cat Cruiser. This combo actually adds nothing beyond the standard stats, so there is plenty of room to customize here. The track is decently twisty, but the terrain is pretty stable, so someone with great handling is going to be solid at the expense of traction. Bikes in the Sport Bike vein with some slick tires make a good combo.

Thwomp Ruins

History:

An ancient civilization thrived millennia ago on DK Island, leaving scores of ruins across the country. Even though Thwomps aren't native to the Island, they were introduced as travel between the realms increased as Donkey, Diddy, and even Kremlings like Kritter and K. Rool found themselves more often hanging out in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Thwomps found a natural home in the Monkey Mines and took over the ruins deep within the jungle. Obviously off put by this foreign influence, Kong sought to fund a Race Course through the ruins, to both expel the Thwomps, and to bring attention away from his Jungle Home.

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It is unclear whether or not the ruins were caused by the Thwomp presence, the ruins of the actual Thwomp civilization, or if they simply intruded upon the wreckage after whatever incident doomed the people living there. Considering the course's similarity to Millstone Mayhem, and obscure Donkey Kong Country level, I suggest the latter. I'd say this is also why Kong is the Ghost here, although it being a pretty jungly track also supports this idea.

The layout is simple enough, although the addition of deadly Thwomps, millstone wheels, and a wide section with multiple paths complicates things. There are nice anti-gravity sections along the walls to avoid a lot of this junk, as well as underwater portions that could be avoided if your Kart / Wheel combination can't handle it. It's therefore a course well-suited to many different playing styles, and with a wide track and lots of off-road portions to boost over and other secrets to find, there's a lot to open up here.

The Ghost, as mentioned, is Kong in the Varmint, using Monster Wheels and the Super Glider in 2:11.157 . There's a lot of speed there as long as he stays on the ground, but everything else almost counters each other, with handling suffering a bit while the traction stays up. Speed, speed, speed here, and with a lot more anti-gravity sections than water sections, wheels that favor that like the Slim, Slick, or Metal families will be great. Then again, if you just stay on the road, that's probably going to be a faster path.

Sweet Sweet Canyon

History:

While Peach had dealt with large baked structures before in Battle Courses, she was always interested in developing a full-length race course. She finally found her destiny in the depths of the Sweet Sweet Galaxy, where, with Rosalina and Bowser pioneering mainstream intergalactic travel, became practical as a popular race course. By 2014, though, Peach was stretched a little too thin, but luckily she was able to be at too places at once, and so handed over control of the course to her time-displaced counterpart, Baby Peach.

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Sweet Sweet Canyon exists as the third course int he Mushroom Cup, and it's a fun track. It at once seems like an extension of Battle Stages like Cookie Land and Tart Top as well as a throwback to some of the crazier tracks from Super Circuit, like Cheese Land and Ribbon Road. These tracks were made of ridiculous materials that seems reflected in the candy-coated road here that's given a big, extensive, loopy treatment.

This course has a bit of everything. A short water section, an anti-gravity section that's a bit more intense than anything seen up to this point, and a significant air section. It's a basic figure-8 that's made a little more complicated by the presence of that big air section and the split anti-gravity sections.

The staff ghost is Baby Peach, likely because of Peach's constant association with sweet candy. She does 2:12.107 in the Teddy Buggy, Wood Wheels, and Peach Parasol, making it the longest of the Mushroom Cup tracks. It's the only ghost that uses the Teddy. Wood is rough in water, but decent in air, and has nice mini-turbo and traction ratings to get through this course. Still, the Teddy doesn't add anything beyond the Standard Kart and the Peach Parasol cuts some air speed. A variant of the Slim or Slick Wheels that favors the longer anti-gravity sections would work well.

Mario Kart Stadium

History:

After anti-gravity technology was developed, the core Grand Prix Committee sought to create some kind of flagship course to debut this, their crowning achievement. It was Mario that spearheaded the Mario Kart Stadium project, and despite protests from his brother, Luigi, who had often been granted the opening track, he created this course. Located in the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario placed himself as the primary beneficiary of Mario Kart Stadium promotions and profits, although since the Grand Prix's name is on the course, there is some heavy revenue sharing involved with its operation.

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Mario Kart Stadium is a tremendous break in tradition for many reasons. Of the previous seven opening tracks in the Mushroom Cup, three had been named for Luigi, and DS's Figure-8 Circuit was very aesthetically similar. Even though Mario Kart Stadium is by definition a Circuit track, it's the only opener not to be called so, besides 64's Luigi Raceway. It's also the only opening track to take place at night.

As far as the layout goes, it's fairly basic, even though it introduces players to the antri-gravity element in 8 with a huge vertical section leading to an air jump near the finale of the race. Much of the other parts of the race are reminiscent of Wii's Luigi Circuit, from the sandy patches near the curves to the large stadium seating sections full of cheering crowds.

The Ghost here is Mario in the Sports Coupe with Standard Wheels and Super Glider in 1:59.781. It's a fast car, but if you can match that with some faster tires like the Slick Wheels you can surpass him.

Water Park

History:

Baby Luigi's ownership of several Frosty Tracks over the years by 2014 had been considered an abject failure. His older counterpart, Luigi saw this with some concern, so he helped to arrange an expansion near Baby Park, which had success with Baby Mario's leadership, creating the Water Park. Costs were kept low by subsidizing rides to other prominent members of the Mushroom Kingdom, such as the Wario-sponsored Wario Wheel, which once served as the flagship attraction. Under Baby Luigi's management, though, the Park's infrastructure was never developed enough to curb the encroaching sea wall, and the Park flooded permanently, rendering most of the rides useless. Still, Luigi saw an opportunity to create a new race course out of it, and with Baby Luigi's supervision, the team actually created a decent track.

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This course isn't quite as similar to Baby Park as it may seem, even though they are thematically similar and occur at similar parts of the Mushroom Cup. The starting point feels a lot like Coconut Mall, but similarities with that track end after those first step. Most importantly, this track contains extensive underwater sections, so consideration ought to be given to Karts and Wheels that are adept at submarine travel. The turns aren't too crazy, so give preference to speed over handling. There are also mild anti-gravity and air sections, nothing to worry about in the Mushroom Cup.

The Staff Ghost here is Baby Luigi in Mr. Scooty using Roller Wheels and the Super Glider in 2:02.954. It's the only Ghost that uses Mr. Scooty as well as the Roller Wheels. It'll sacrifice a lot of speed for excellent acceleration and handling, especially underwater. I'd like something like the Pipe Frame and Button Wheels to preserve the most under water speed as possible while still getting some decent handling. Wario, Bowser, and Morton are going to have the fastest speed and any of them will get across the finish first on this one.