The latest balance patch in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shook up the meta, creating another dominant character kart combo to look out for.
Mario Kart 8 has a new meta and hints about upcoming characters in the latest update, patch 2.3.0.
The most recent update added Wave 4 DLC, which included the addition of Birdo and new courses. But it also came with some balance and bug changes, which has seen a long-time dominant meta finally come crumbling down.
In the patch notes for version 2.3.0, Nintendo stated that they "improved the performance of some characters and vehicle customizations." This had Mario Kart fans excited for a possibly more varied meta after Waluigi's extremely long time as the far-and-away best character. But it looks like it has created a similar problem.
Competitive Mario Kart players noticed that the changes led to a lot of people breaking long-time time trials held by Waluigi riding in the Wiggler. All of them were broken by the same combo: Rosalina riding the Teddy Buggy.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe balance patch 2.3.0
The balance patch on March 8 included a lot of big updates to the huge Mario Kart roster. All characters not considered heavy had their speed stats increased. In addition to that, many lighter weight characters had their mini turbo stats increased.
When it comes to vehicles, most vehicles had their mini turbo stats increased by .25. Almost all the tires had the same stats increased in an attempt to make less-used parts more enticing.
This was an exciting change for casual players who wanted to see their favorite character buffed. But the competitive scene was left a bit frustrated with the latest changes.
What is the new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe meta?
The most recent balance patch essentially killed Waluigi Wiggler and all records set by this combo are now destroyed by Rosalina Teddy Buggy. The new meta for tryhards is now Rosalina Teddy Buggy — and that's it.
It's interesting that Nintendo essentially replaced one over-the-top good combo with another unbeatable combo, meaning the game is still not balanced. And that's especially the case in Time Trial, where the only real option is to use Rosalina Teddy.
Many Time Trial competitors and record holders have expressed frustration with the patch, including some well-known racers who saw their dozens of world records shattered immediately after the balance patch dropped. This left many feeling unmotivated, tweeting that they would have to basically redo all of their records every time a balance patch is released.
In general, the Mario Kart Deluxe 8 scene has welcomed the changes. A lot of people felt that their chosen character was holding them back, something that the new patch addressed in many ways.
The patch also included a very interesting hint about future DLC characters. Birdo has been added to the roster but players also noticed that five slots were added that are currently blank. This means that it's now basically confirmed that there will be five more racers added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Will they shake up the meta? Most likely not. But racers will have to wait and see.