6 years later, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe patch finally removes controversial "bagging" strategy

gamesradar.com:

What could be Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's final update has patched out a controversial strategy called "bagging."

Firstly, what is bagging? It's a trick employed by devious racers at the start of a race, whereby the driver doesn't progress, or sometimes even drives backwards. It's basically an attempt to accrue a massive amount of powerful items while you're so far behind, enabling an epic comeback once you get going. It's a risky strategy and not one that's widely beloved among the community.

Now, though, it's all over for the "bagging" racers. Update 3.0.0 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched earlier today, November 9, introducing the game's final wave of 'Booster Course' tracks. It also crucially killed the bagging strategy by removing "strong items" from boxes for drivers who are either standing still or driving in reverse.

Just below, you can see evidence of the strategy being removed. The player tries out bagging by deliberately messing around on the GBA Cheese Land track, only to be greeted with a little green shell for all their troubles. That'll surely kill the bagging trend instantly.

Yup looks like it's over for Bagging strategy in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Homie @vnt__x pulled a Green Shell in 12th on GBA Cheese Land a sandbagging staple. RIP Sandbagging 2017 - 2023pic.twitter.com/RmgCzA8rfINovember 9, 2023

Bagging has existed since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe first launched in 2017, so well over six years now. You'd think if Nintendo was aware of the trick, it'd probably have patched out the entire thing by now, but if update 3.0.0 is meant to ensure the longevity of the racing game, removing bagging goes a long way to guarantee that.

Keep an eye on our upcoming Switch games guide for a look ahead at all the Nintendo-exclusive