18:57 I think this is the first time I've ever seen shortcat happy to see the pirana plant item lol. Love the "Fuck it we ball" eenrgy of Attacking shortcat, really cool to see how down to the wire it was too! Thanks for the video :)
The piranha plant feels bad to get sometimes because it takes so long to use, and you might need your next item to block a red shell or take a shortcut. But sometimes it's one of the best ones you can get!
On thr dk summit race, i think i know what the problem was with the shortcut. I usually use a higher speed combo like the bowser one and it happens to me a lot. Your speed is really high with the combo that you completely skip the second ramp or (if you take it the safe way) you hit the small bit of wall and completely mess it up. Hope this helps :)
Shortcat, your vids have a blend of calmness, genuinely useful information, and internet funnyman that tickles my brain in just the right way. Thank you for being you
17:25 "Not going out of my way to back green shells and drop bananas where it would probably hit someone." *Just dropped a banana at the item box and proceeds to back green shell."
You were talking about grey areas with what considered aggressive and defensive. My personal definition is aggression is using items to gain positions, defense is using items to maintain your current position. Boomeranging the guy with triple greens before they trail you? Defensive. Triple redding first place? Aggressive.
I know it’s probably more optimal to play aggressive in lower positions and defensive when in the lead but I always have this itch to play very aggressively even in 1st as I like setting traps for 2nd with bananas, back spamming or trailing people with shells and I have access to the double item boxes to chain with. Backspam is something I practically had to get good with since I’m an inward main in lobbies with Yoshi’s everywhere so I gotta take advantage of the rear view mirror, all hail inward rear view making it easy to back spam
Good races! When I was a kid, it was all about constant attacking with items! I always threw items away. As a more experienced Mario Karter, I have learned you need a mix of both, but I usually tend to play a bit more on the defensive side. You just have to know when to protect and when to be a little more aggressive when it comes down to the wire.
24:30 I miss when the Koopalings were widely accepted as Bowser's children, but Nintendo decided to retcon that and make Bowser Jr., who's not even a Koopaling, be Bowser's only child. As for their ages, I don't know if it was ever determined beyond Larry being the youngest and Ludwig being the oldest, but if we base it on Super Mario Bros. 3 going from youngest to oldest, which does keep Larry as the youngest and Ludwig as the oldest, then Iggy would indeed be the 4th oldest. And the 4th youngest too, as there are 7 Koopalings. 28:07 Peak commentary. I only have one thing to add. " Fiyah in the watah... *WHY?!?* "
19:08 Shortcat: Go Go Go *hits Funky Kong with Pirana Plant* this doesn't feel right, I'm so sorry 19:25 Shortcat: I'm so sorry Funky Kong Shortcat apologizing for attacking Funky Kong while he was attacking Shortcat almost every race prior to that
13:56 I would argue that triple redding first on madrid drive wasn't the correct play, depending on your definitions/interpretations. I would assume that defensive = "item strategy which always minimises the chance of you getting hit", and aggressive = "item strategy which always maximises the chance of opponents getting hit". By keeping the reds, you keep a triple defensive item, which you likely wouldn't match in your next item box pull since you were in second. This maximises your defensive capabilities, especially considering first posed no threat to you (and you had no blue shell defence), so there was no potential net defensive gain by hitting first (eg throwing a boomerang to destroy triple shells would be a net defensive gain, since it minimises your overall chance of being hit by something (This also helps differentiate from a pacifist strategy, as tossing items to chain and taking out large threats now become reasonable)). Of course throwing the shells is absolutely the reasonable play given both first's position, and the low risk since no one else would have items because of the shock; which I think highlights that in ideal item strategy, both offensive and defensive (though mainly defensive realistically) can be ideal based on your current game environment. (btw this isnt a critique at all i loved the video, just an interesting thought)
Before watching the video- I’m assuming the final results are gonna be smth like “it’s completely situational, you can’t stick to one playstyle and always expect to win” I’ll come back after I finish the vid
30:51 I didn’t know that what my day was missing was Shortcat singing a High School Musical song while playing as a gorilla on a tiny scooter, but my day is now complete
Odd theming quirk of Bowser and DK this helped me pick up on; Going aggressive, with the giant hostile turtle man, that has defensive super armor in almost every game iteration he has And going defensive, with the very ready to throw hands, aggressive monkey, who often times never has a shield ready
I naturally use items for attack, but I've been more defensive since watching your videos. Knowing what strategy to use has improved my win/loss ratio. Thanks budd!
I think tossing those triple red shells was actually playing aggressive, not defensive. Given the position you're in, triple reds (or any revolving item besides mushrooms) is the best defense item. Chaining it into a box will almost certainly take out the person ahead of you, but the item you get will likely be worse for defense than a triple revolving. Playing defensive means playing with a lean towards keeping your items as defense rather than tossing them to attack as well as accumulating all the best defense items, so throwing away triple reds is really playing more offensive than defensive. Either way, I really love these comparison/challenge videos and would like to see more like these in the future! Keep up the great work!
Next, you should make a part two of this video playing how you normally would. So not just attacking or just defending but the hybrid style you would typically race with. And one where you play passively and don’t use items at all. I would love to see the final comparison of them all.
This is about what I expected. Attacking is very much high risk, high reward, while defense is a lot more consistent at getting around a top 5 placement. Obviously nothing is a 100% rule in this game cause you can play perfectly and still get screwed, but still a good experiment and entertaining video!
I think what this really proves is that its best to switch between the two based on circumstance. Given how close the two where, and there were clearly times when Attack was working and Attack wasnt working.
If you ever do a sequel/part 2 to this, maybe run Inside Drift during attack mode? The Inside Drift Bikes excel at trailing and sniping. It would make item play even *more* nasty. 😈
With how similar the results were, I think it really comes down to personal playstyle and what you find more fun. Also consider that if everyone played defensively, there would be no attacks to defend against
I'm just starting to watch the video. Here's my bet : The average score will be close, but defense will grant more consistant scores, while attack will have scores all over the board.
i think being defensive is the mindset, like you wouldn’t want to use those red shells/mushrooms because of attacking items. Doesn’t mean you can’t use them to get in the lead but you always want some form of protection against something.
This whole attacking vs. defending test is centered around the multiplayer mechanic that if you attack, you make yourself vulnerable to attacks, so... I think it's fair to attack while playing defensive as long as you maintain defense items, so you don't make yourself vulnerable. Similarly, I think it's fair to defend while playing aggressive as long as you don't hold back attacking in order to defend (unless you're in first place, in which case you have no one to attack). So, if a red shell comes for you before you get a reasonable chance to attack, I think it should be legal to defend. I can also see an argument being made for attacking when defensive or defending when aggressive whenever you chain items. I totally agree that trailing could go either way.
I personally think that it is best to be defensive and attack when you feel that you can easily defend yourself afterwards or will be safe after you attack. Pretty much like throwing a punch and then getting prepared to be punched back. This is entirely just from my own experience but I might think this way due to playing in lower-level rooms where it feels a bit more chaotic.
Something I've noticed in your videos lately (or perhaps I remember it wrong) but it seems like in a given set of like 16-20 tracks, there's almost always repeats of tracks, not even necessarily wave 6 tracks which would make sense. But in this you've got Boo Lake and Water Park twice even though 16 out of a possible 96 makes that highly unlikely. I think this happened in most of your other videos
Defense is usually the best play, but sometimes, the best defense is a good offence. Basically attack if you realise your odds of defending/dodging are slim. Otherwise defend.
what's interesting about this video (and i know i'm late but better late then never) is that defending is only slightly better then attacking and it's not by a massive margin either, only a 0.6 point difference
DK says: If you keep yourself defensive, you'll protect yourself from those devastating chains of getting hit. Bowser says: If I get a red, you're gonna be dead.
28:01 a REAL sweaty attacker would've thrown the red Shell forwards to then defend with a single shot of fire backwards, which has a smaller chance of hitting someone in front than the red.
I heard that a good study requires at least 30 samples of similar scenarios to be of good scientific evidence, but this is a really nice thing to see regardless. W Mario Kart science
20:10 I feel like bagging falls under aggressive much more than defensive. I mean, if you’re front running then you’re literally just holding your ground, generally using items for defense instead of attacking those ahead of you. Whereas when you’re bagging, you’re likely to get stronger items like the shock or bullet that you can use to disrupt those ahead of you
You need to be a bit of both..probably Like 75% defensive and 25% attack. I was more aggressive when I started and watching you and being more defensive has helped me.
Nice video buddy
Thank you!! For some reason these words felt great to read
He is right about the nice vid
@@Shortcat321cuz the money bro
@@Shortcat321it is money
@Unmentionabloh maybe
shortcat woke up today and couldn't decide between violence and peace
Will be tough to beat this comment
That’s actually really funny lol
Ama sub to u @thisismalachi
@@FootBallFan4085 No
I will add on to this
Shortcat woke up today and couldn’t decide between violence and peace so he just chose both
"I'm ready to cause some chaos" followed with a picture of Bowser rolling in on a scooter is the funniest mental image ever.
Man the osc is everywhere
18:57 I think this is the first time I've ever seen shortcat happy to see the pirana plant item lol.
Love the "Fuck it we ball" eenrgy of Attacking shortcat, really cool to see how down to the wire it was too! Thanks for the video :)
The piranha plant feels bad to get sometimes because it takes so long to use, and you might need your next item to block a red shell or take a shortcut. But sometimes it's one of the best ones you can get!
@@Shortcat321will u do a qna at 300k??
Bowser looks like an adult riding a kids bike
AMazing
Rule #1 of mario kart 8 deluxe: it's not a good combo unless it looks goofy
I mean he’s got a point
@@Shortcat321the only reason Yoshi teddy is the best combo is because it looks good
Haha, that could also align with the aggression, as he stole the kid's bike
Dry bowser pipe frame is rly funny to me and I have no idea why
Truly the best stat: the attack stat
you’re wrong, the most important stat is the traction stat, i know because in trackmania the fastest surface is the one with the most grip
@@laser_uhhhh Mariokart ≠ Trackmania
@@13Graham you don't say
@@laser_uhhhh Naw its the luck stat
Idk about that, crit damage and crit rate are pretty important stats
The cartoony "bonk" sound effect you use whenever you get bumped is so funny every single time
You've gotten better at talking to the audience and playing! Congrats
Thank you!! Always trying to be better!
i feel like he always really good with that it def always set him apart from others imo
16:35 and 18:17, Shortcat's split personalities working together
20:27
“Im gonna throw this were no one can get hit by it”
*proceeds to get hit by it*
That slow-mo lore shot of bowser attacking his own child is crazy 😭
This is my new favorite video yet!!!
This comment section is pay to win
@@Shortcat321Shortcat pls jperm collab
@@ilovepotstickershe cant collab with himself
@@Shortcat321well if you admit that you are jperm, I will drop a 50.
@@Shortcat321let's gooooo 🎉
On thr dk summit race, i think i know what the problem was with the shortcut. I usually use a higher speed combo like the bowser one and it happens to me a lot. Your speed is really high with the combo that you completely skip the second ramp or (if you take it the safe way) you hit the small bit of wall and completely mess it up. Hope this helps :)
Shortcat, your vids have a blend of calmness, genuinely useful information, and internet funnyman that tickles my brain in just the right way. Thank you for being you
Agreed.
17:25 "Not going out of my way to back green shells and drop bananas where it would probably hit someone." *Just dropped a banana at the item box and proceeds to back green shell."
Old habits die hard, right
Their goes your item there goes your race
*not even 2 seconds later*
Green shell: *HELO*
0:38
You were talking about grey areas with what considered aggressive and defensive. My personal definition is aggression is using items to gain positions, defense is using items to maintain your current position. Boomeranging the guy with triple greens before they trail you? Defensive. Triple redding first place? Aggressive.
I know it’s probably more optimal to play aggressive in lower positions and defensive when in the lead but I always have this itch to play very aggressively even in 1st as I like setting traps for 2nd with bananas, back spamming or trailing people with shells and I have access to the double item boxes to chain with.
Backspam is something I practically had to get good with since I’m an inward main in lobbies with Yoshi’s everywhere so I gotta take advantage of the rear view mirror, all hail inward rear view making it easy to back spam
Backspamming at the finish line is toxic but funny at the same time right
@@Marley_BSfr i do that all the time in mario kart wii
In mario kart wii, it's much safer to play aggressively from 1st place because red shells are not as deadly!
I love the audible click of the controller
Good races! When I was a kid, it was all about constant attacking with items! I always threw items away. As a more experienced Mario Karter, I have learned you need a mix of both, but I usually tend to play a bit more on the defensive side. You just have to know when to protect and when to be a little more aggressive when it comes down to the wire.
You know its a good day when shortcat uploads
Fr
Agreed
True
20:10 “But this makes sense … fire under water” lol
It's hydrophobic fire
@@13Graham how do you know the water isn't pyrophobic? 🤔
Wotah in de fiyah, WHY? Wotah in de fiyah, WHYYY?!??
24:30
I miss when the Koopalings were widely accepted as Bowser's children, but Nintendo decided to retcon that and make Bowser Jr., who's not even a Koopaling, be Bowser's only child.
As for their ages, I don't know if it was ever determined beyond Larry being the youngest and Ludwig being the oldest, but if we base it on Super Mario Bros. 3 going from youngest to oldest, which does keep Larry as the youngest and Ludwig as the oldest, then Iggy would indeed be the 4th oldest. And the 4th youngest too, as there are 7 Koopalings.
28:07
Peak commentary. I only have one thing to add.
" Fiyah in the watah... *WHY?!?* "
They're still Koopa's kids. He's just a deadbeat dad.
Can't wait for the Shortcat short explaining what happened at 9:59
(tbh I just need more shortcat content in my life)
The best path to victory I've found is to only play with people worse than myself. To quote Principal Skinner, "up yours, children!".
I just recently got mario kart and after finding this channel I immediately subscribed, I love your content!
19:08 Shortcat: Go Go Go *hits Funky Kong with Pirana Plant* this doesn't feel right, I'm so sorry
19:25 Shortcat: I'm so sorry Funky Kong
Shortcat apologizing for attacking Funky Kong while he was attacking Shortcat almost every race prior to that
fr that Funky Kong is a menace
Your videos just keep getting better and better!
Love that you discuss the more technical aspects of the game. Definitely improved a bunch from watching, thank you for all you do!
13:56 I would argue that triple redding first on madrid drive wasn't the correct play, depending on your definitions/interpretations. I would assume that defensive = "item strategy which always minimises the chance of you getting hit", and aggressive = "item strategy which always maximises the chance of opponents getting hit".
By keeping the reds, you keep a triple defensive item, which you likely wouldn't match in your next item box pull since you were in second. This maximises your defensive capabilities, especially considering first posed no threat to you (and you had no blue shell defence), so there was no potential net defensive gain by hitting first (eg throwing a boomerang to destroy triple shells would be a net defensive gain, since it minimises your overall chance of being hit by something (This also helps differentiate from a pacifist strategy, as tossing items to chain and taking out large threats now become reasonable)).
Of course throwing the shells is absolutely the reasonable play given both first's position, and the low risk since no one else would have items because of the shock; which I think highlights that in ideal item strategy, both offensive and defensive (though mainly defensive realistically) can be ideal based on your current game environment.
(btw this isnt a critique at all i loved the video, just an interesting thought)
Been waiting for a video where you are aggressive and attack more! Good stuff!
Before watching the video- I’m assuming the final results are gonna be smth like “it’s completely situational, you can’t stick to one playstyle and always expect to win” I’ll come back after I finish the vid
30:51 I didn’t know that what my day was missing was Shortcat singing a High School Musical song while playing as a gorilla on a tiny scooter, but my day is now complete
You should have done a third where you play "normal", which is a mix of both defence and offence depending on the situation :)
by far the best mario kart 8 deluxe content creators ever, your content is always so fun to watch as you explain everything so well!
20:27 "so we're gonna throw this where no one can get hit by it." Proceeds to run into own banana
always so fun to watch shortcat be an absolutely menace on the racecourse
Love your vids shortcat, even if you uploaded a video with no set theme we would still find it entertaining!! Keep up the grind💪
Not only is this cat short, but it's also now contemplating between chaos and order.
Odd theming quirk of Bowser and DK this helped me pick up on;
Going aggressive, with the giant hostile turtle man, that has defensive super armor in almost every game iteration he has
And going defensive, with the very ready to throw hands, aggressive monkey, who often times never has a shield ready
I naturally use items for attack, but I've been more defensive since watching your videos. Knowing what strategy to use has improved my win/loss ratio. Thanks budd!
YES I WAS WAITING FOR THIS
I've always wanted to watch a video where you constantly just attack everyone the moment you get an item
I love seeing Shortcat play lore accurate Bowser
I love shortcat vids!😊
I hope he returns with that 1v1 funny videos!
@@Diancie7246 yeah!
Shortcat halfway through the video decided that defensive playing was just gonna be playing like normal
every shortcat mk8 vid that comes out im always revved to see them, really enjoying them, keep it up :D
sometimes attack is the best defense.
Always happy to see a new Shortcat vid, and I've only really played Mario Kart DS back in the day
I love as shortcat slowly goes from loving to hating attacking
These informative videos are one of the reasons why I'm subbed to you, Shortcat.
I think tossing those triple red shells was actually playing aggressive, not defensive. Given the position you're in, triple reds (or any revolving item besides mushrooms) is the best defense item. Chaining it into a box will almost certainly take out the person ahead of you, but the item you get will likely be worse for defense than a triple revolving. Playing defensive means playing with a lean towards keeping your items as defense rather than tossing them to attack as well as accumulating all the best defense items, so throwing away triple reds is really playing more offensive than defensive.
Either way, I really love these comparison/challenge videos and would like to see more like these in the future! Keep up the great work!
Next, you should make a part two of this video playing how you normally would. So not just attacking or just defending but the hybrid style you would typically race with. And one where you play passively and don’t use items at all. I would love to see the final comparison of them all.
Dk scooty has been my main for many years as a 200cc only player. So satisfying to see how consistent it is
I learned cubing from you, and now I learn mariokart from you
Shortcat, now that you’ve improved so much at bagging, could you give the fastest combo another try for the memes?
Love your stuff btw❤
This is about what I expected. Attacking is very much high risk, high reward, while defense is a lot more consistent at getting around a top 5 placement. Obviously nothing is a 100% rule in this game cause you can play perfectly and still get screwed, but still a good experiment and entertaining video!
Of course another great video. I thought this challenge was creative and really interesting and entertaining. Keep it up!!
I think what this really proves is that its best to switch between the two based on circumstance. Given how close the two where, and there were clearly times when Attack was working and Attack wasnt working.
You’re the best mk8dx youtuber
I think it’d be cool if you did a challenge where you have to use any item you get instantly. No item strategy allowed 👀
If you ever do a sequel/part 2 to this, maybe run Inside Drift during attack mode? The Inside Drift Bikes excel at trailing and sniping. It would make item play even *more* nasty. 😈
omg I've been waiting for you to upload i love shortcat
Shortcat has such a positive impact in this world. Shout out to him
Shorcat you made me love Mario kart and you taught me a lot
Shortcat literally slowing down to hit someone with a star only to miss them has got to be the funniest thing 😂
Shortcat is back! With amazing vids! We want that funny 1v1 videos
30:50 kongs in sync and then the trick off the glider xD
With how similar the results were, I think it really comes down to personal playstyle and what you find more fun. Also consider that if everyone played defensively, there would be no attacks to defend against
Da king is back baby he neva miss
Here’s a quirky idea: Try to win with the WII U Mario Kart 8 meta combo (Morton, Blue Falcon, Cyber Slick Tyres, Gold glider)
I'm just starting to watch the video. Here's my bet : The average score will be close, but defense will grant more consistant scores, while attack will have scores all over the board.
Video idea:
Play with friends but disable all items except the blue shell.
it’s the one that is guaranteed to get you the win in the last second and also combine that with the one you’re better at that’s better
i think being defensive is the mindset, like you wouldn’t want to use those red shells/mushrooms because of attacking items. Doesn’t mean you can’t use them to get in the lead but you always want some form of protection against something.
From today I am only defence in MK8D❤❤❤BTW thank you so much on these videos ❤❤❤
This whole attacking vs. defending test is centered around the multiplayer mechanic that if you attack, you make yourself vulnerable to attacks, so...
I think it's fair to attack while playing defensive as long as you maintain defense items, so you don't make yourself vulnerable.
Similarly, I think it's fair to defend while playing aggressive as long as you don't hold back attacking in order to defend (unless you're in first place, in which case you have no one to attack). So, if a red shell comes for you before you get a reasonable chance to attack, I think it should be legal to defend.
I can also see an argument being made for attacking when defensive or defending when aggressive whenever you chain items.
I totally agree that trailing could go either way.
that mushroom at the end was insane
Amazing content as usual.
I’m not a bot, I just genuinely want to share these thoughts with you.
When attacking, the person you hit falls behind. But when you defend, everyone falls behing from your perspective
I personally think that it is best to be defensive and attack when you feel that you can easily defend yourself afterwards or will be safe after you attack. Pretty much like throwing a punch and then getting prepared to be punched back.
This is entirely just from my own experience but I might think this way due to playing in lower-level rooms where it feels a bit more chaotic.
My favorite strategy is defending while bagging in 12th
I love when TH-camrs get straight to the video instead of yapping for 30 seconds
Something I've noticed in your videos lately (or perhaps I remember it wrong) but it seems like in a given set of like 16-20 tracks, there's almost always repeats of tracks, not even necessarily wave 6 tracks which would make sense. But in this you've got Boo Lake and Water Park twice even though 16 out of a possible 96 makes that highly unlikely. I think this happened in most of your other videos
That’s mainly because the community has many favored tracks that will get picked more often than not online
honestly cant be mad he got tired of nonstop quality cubing content creation
Defense is usually the best play,
but sometimes, the best defense is a good offence.
Basically attack if you realise your odds of defending/dodging are slim. Otherwise defend.
what's interesting about this video (and i know i'm late but better late then never) is that defending is only slightly better then attacking and it's not by a massive margin either, only a 0.6 point difference
you should do a challenge were you can't take shortcuts in a race
DK says: If you keep yourself defensive, you'll protect yourself from those devastating chains of getting hit.
Bowser says: If I get a red, you're gonna be dead.
Defense > attack
Defense and attack
I love that you’re using the heavy weights in this one
I love how during the whole video ShortCat is gaslighting us into thinking he's playing defensive while hitting people.
I love how ShortCat sings (badly) 3 seconds of a HSM song and fears copyright
Always love a new shortcat video
28:01 a REAL sweaty attacker would've thrown the red Shell forwards to then defend with a single shot of fire backwards, which has a smaller chance of hitting someone in front than the red.
19:03
Shortcat: Heyyy, you wanna use your mushrooms? Wanna get in front of me?
Funky Kong: ALL RH-RH-RH-RH-RH-RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!
Hey man, thanks to you i learned the 3x3 and got into cubing :))
I heard that a good study requires at least 30 samples of similar scenarios to be of good scientific evidence, but this is a really nice thing to see regardless. W Mario Kart science
31:04 such a flawless impression of DK
20:10 I feel like bagging falls under aggressive much more than defensive. I mean, if you’re front running then you’re literally just holding your ground, generally using items for defense instead of attacking those ahead of you. Whereas when you’re bagging, you’re likely to get stronger items like the shock or bullet that you can use to disrupt those ahead of you
You need to be a bit of both..probably Like 75% defensive and 25% attack. I was more aggressive when I started and watching you and being more defensive has helped me.