The Nintendo Switch 2 is very nearly upon us, and so in just a matter of days we’re going to be diving into Mario Kart World, the first new Mario Kart game in over a decade and the first one to offer a free roaming mode alongside traditional races.

We’re naturally very excited about this, and with Mario Kart very much on our minds, we’ve decided to rank the items players have been using to gain an advantage in Nintendo’s long-running kart racing series since it debuted with 1992’s Super Mario Kart.

This list isn’t completely exhaustive, and not every item featured appears in every entry, but put it this way: if it’s either ruined your day or given you precious bragging rights over your mates before, it’s in here.

To the uninitiated, the coin can feel like a punishment for being in first place. This item is far more likely to appear when you’re winning, and as it doesn’t have any offensive qualities, seeing it pop up in your inventory can be disappointing. Sure, it’s nice to unlock new karts, gliders and wheels in later entries, but what use is that to you in a current race? Well, not everyone knows that coins also give you minor speed boosts that stack over the course of a lap, so if effectively farmed you can gain an even larger lead on all the losers scrapping it out for shells behind you.