MrPopo wrote:If you're consistently getting trounced by blue shells then you aren't actually a first place skill player. If you're doing GPs then the best person is going to consistently end up with the most points, even if you don't take first every race.
Eh, arguably, if you're always out in first then you're the target for them every time. Will they always mean a loss? Well, no, though if you're trying to three-star trophies it can be annoying to get hit by them (and often in the Switch version, then get hit by additional shells) since you do need first every race. The real rub is more that someone getting a last-lap blue shell or something probably isn't in a position to actually place well anyway.
It could likely be balanced out by changing powerup availability by lap, or a system where getting hit by tracking powerups means others can't track that racer for a bit. Or just, balanced more in general. Objectively speaking, Mario Kart punishes players more in mid pack, where they fight amongst themselves (or get hit by powerful stuff that the stragglers get), making it all that much harder to actually catch up to the first place racer, provided they have any kind of lead.
