Delfino Pier

History:

Off the coast of Delfino Plaza, adjacent to Delfino Square on the Isle Delfino lies the Delfino Pier. Yeah, they aren't very creative at naming things. With both Princess Peach and Princess Daisy making significant investments in race courses throughout the Isle, Mario felt slighted. He was unable to push through another Racing Course, but did secure a large tract of land to create a Battle Course. The result was more exploitation of the Piantas people, but they were just honored to have the presence of the Hero Mario on their Isle.

Wii:

The Delfino Pier is a unique Battle Course in that the fighting area shifts as time progresses throughout the battle. There is no way to alter these shifts. The battle begins atop this giant roof surrounded by water that rolls in and out with the tide. There are some hidden sneaky areas but they are rarely traversed by the enemy and not worth exploring. There are some dash panels to pull of some sick jumps that will also get rid of any Blooper Ink. As time goes on though, new areas open up, including a large indoor area that also gradually fills with water, becoming a certain way to die. Finally, the drawbridge drops and battlers finish the fight atop a higher, pyramidal roof. This usually is a decently high-scoring match, although it is actually large enough and contains enough obscure areas that players can easily hide and regroup. What's the fun in that, though?

For strategy, try to maintain the high ground and be aware when things start to change on the course, signified by the donging of bells. The course is simultaneously expansive, yet enclosed by tight corners and isolated confined spaces. Avoid the corners and dash when you can to soar to other parts of the course. Also pay attention to when players fully diffuse to other areas. Oftentimes someplace new will open up but battlers won't journey there. Stick where the action is and rack up those points.

Bullet Bill / Chain Chomp

History:

Thousands of years ago, a young Rosalina, new in her job as Guardian Mother of the Galaxy, began to experiment with some of her new-found star power. She did not believe that any harm would come from using her star power on meteors to bring them to life, but instead in her inexperience she created a ravenous new species that sought only to consume. Horrified at what she had done, she sent the meteors away throughout the Galaxy. Eventually they wound up in Mushroom Space, where they would continue to devour everything, even Rainbow Road.
Some fell to the Mushroom Kingdom and were worshiped as gods by the early peoples of the Dry Dry Desert. Soon tribute was not enough to satiate their horrendous chomping appetite, and they were chained in tombs. Still, eventually there grew a group of professional Chomp Wranglers who would capture the beasts and train them up as sleepless, ever-vigilant and ever-hungry guard dogs. Mario was just one of these Wranglers, and he installed Chomps to guard his lover, Peach's castle. His younger self from an earlier timeline, though, Baby Mario, eventually found a way to use them in the Grand Prix, but in the rash judgment of youth, the results were imperfect. Still, this experience likely led the present-day Mario to become so familiar with the Chain Chomps.

After the disastrous introduction of Chain Chomps to the Grand Prix it was decided to use an Item that was similar, but far less risky for the activating driver. Bowser submitted his own Grand Stockpile of Bullet Bills, the Mushroom Kingdom equivalent to WMDs. Bullet Bills are created in Massive Factories in the Dark Land, and although sentient, are aware that they exist only for kamikaze missions. This combination of destructive power, spacial awareness, conscious decision-making, and unwavering loyalty makes them one of the most powerful forces in the entire Mushroom World. Being chosen to be an Item in the Grand Prix spares a Bullet Bill from its usually suicide mission, but such is actually against the Code of the Bills, which dictates that they die in battle. Thus, while being picked for life would seem like a huge relief, it is one of the deepest shames a Bill can suffer.

Chain Chomp appears in:

Double Dash!

The Chain Chomp only appears as a Special Item used by Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, as well as King Boo and Petey Piranha, who have access to all Special Items. It is dangerous and unwieldy and awesome and powerful at the same time. The Chomp will pull the racer at a rapid speed while knocking everyone else out of the way. The Driver himself though, is not invulnerable, and still susceptible to dangers on the course. It is also uncontrollable, the Chomp will tug the racer straight into danger, or suddenly leave before a cliff or turn that may pull the racer into oblivion. Still, the Chomp takes up nearly the entire track, and avoiding one coming up from behind is very difficult.

Bullet Bill appears in:

DS
Wii
7

The Bullet Bill in later games is very much a refined version of the Chain Chomp. It pulls the player ahead and destroys all other obstacles in its path. The key difference is that it encapsulates the racer, rendering him or her invulnerable to any disaster on the track. The Bullet Bill can supersede any danger besides a Star. It conquers Mega Mushrooms, and is unaffected by Thunder, POW Blocks, or Bloopers. There is still some danger of it wearing off and leaving racers flying headfirst over a cliff, but the benefits far outweight this mild risk. It's arguably better than a Star, especially on difficult tracks where it will take over the driving and launch the racer ahead. There isn't the danger of screwing up or junking turns because of high speed handling. Bullet Bills are game over, man - they only appear for players who have fallen far behind, but they offer a great advantage.

Blooper

History:

The Bloopers peacefully control large swaths of the Mushroom Seas, only acting out when their waters are intruded upon. Their commander is King Calamari, a giant squid-like creature. As contact grew between the Land and Sea societies, the King brokered a deal to let his denizens take part in the Grand Prix, as items. The Bloopers only contain a rudimentary understanding of their role in the races, though, and are mostly eager to return to their more familiar undersea existence.

Bloopers appear in:

DS
Wii
7

Bloopers function similarly in every game in which they appear. They are typically an item that appears to players towards the back of the pack. Once activated, the blooper soars out to every racer ahead of the one who used it and covers their screens in ink. It's one of the only items that breaks the fourth wall in Mario Kart, not actually affecting the driver, but rather the ability for real-life human players to perceive their video game avatar. It creates a visual disruption between the user and the proxy of game play.

This can be deadly, but again, it doesn't actually affect the potential of the actual avatar, just the ability of the player to see the screen. It can therefore be dealt with by either carefully memorization of the course, errant item placement, and predictable patterns (Thwomps for example); anticipation of incoming objects via auditory cues and the portions of the screen that do remain visible; and finally, prayer. If the Blooper is used while the racer is in first place, it will only attack the Kart that used it, namely, you. So, don't do that.

Any boosting object can get ride of the Bloop Ink. That is, any dash panel, trick, star, bullet bill, cannon, mushroom, or mega mushroom will do the trick. For this reason, Bloopers are actually less deadly on more complex tracks where you'll hit this stuff all the time. Of course, on simpler tracks, the screen obfuscaton is not nearly as terrible with much less danger. Therefore, there are only a couple courses where the Bloopers are actually effective, mostly those with lots of danger, crowded spaces, and a lack of boosting opportunities. It's also really a catch-all item. Unless you can see the racers ahead of you to time it so you ink up their screen right before they hit a tricky part of the course, there's no real timing or strategy involved. Just let the little squid do its thing and hope for the best.