How to Avoid the Spiny 'Blue' Shell in Mario Kart Tour

It happens to all of us. You're ahead of the pack, clearly in first place, when someone launches the Spiny Shell (aka, the blue shell). It catches up and circles you before crashing into your kart, and there's seemingly nothing you can do about it. But what if I told you there are two ways to avoid this fate in Mario Kart Tour?

In Mario Kart Tour, blue shells can actually be dodged. With the right item or some expert driving, you can avoid the Blue Shell explosion and continue your dominance on the track. Is it easy to accomplish? No, but if it were everyone would do it. The methods below do take some practice. But once master, you can crush the dreams of your opponents as you continue your lead despite the desperate last effort.

Method 1: Destroy It

The easiest way to avoid getting hit by the Spiny Shell is to destroy it, which can only be accomplished with one item, the Super Horn. The Super Horn (the red box with yellow speaker) will block the Spiny Shells from hitting you, effectively destroying it.

To use it, you need to wait until the Spiny Shell arrives and spins around you. Right before it hits you, activate the Super Horn. This will repel the Spiny Shell, and you can continue unharmed.

Method 2: Avoid It

If you don't have the necessary item to destroy it, the only other option is to avoid it. There are two ways to accomplish this, both of which are pretty difficult to pull off right. The first is to slip back into second place and hold just long enough for the blue shell to pass you and hit the new first-place driver.

While getting into second place isn't too hard, the problem is staying close enough to re-take first while keeping enough distance to avoid the blue shell's blast radius. The best way to keep your distance is to use Slipstream. It's not easy, but with practice, you can use this method to not only avoid blue shells but get in first place at the start of the race. Check out our guide below on how to use Slipstream.

• More Info: How to Use Slipstream to Catch Up in Mario Kart Tour

The other method requires either the Triple Mushroom or Mega Mushroom. With the item on hand, as the Blue Shell is preparing to crash on you, activate the Mushroom to boost ahead and avoid the explosion. You need to activate milliseconds before it crashes for this work. If you use the Mushroom too early, the blue shell will simply chase you to your current spot. I won't lie, this method will require a lot of practice. But it's something you should learn since Super Horn is pretty rare.

Cover image by Dallas Thomas/Gadget Hacks