Spiny shell (InstanceTopic, 8)

From Compile Worlds

A spiny shell, not to be confused with a blue shell, is a blue Koopa shell with spines and wings, and acts like a homing missile, targeting the 1st place racer in a Mario Kart GP. Do NOT use this in first place, unless you plan on losing and laughing your ass off. It can be obtained from an item box. From Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and onwards, a spiny shell makes a blue explosion in which any other drivers can run into and wipe out in. In Mario Kart Wii it was recently discovered a spiny shell could be avoided by a well timed mushroom boost.

This item used to only be given to players in like 7th or 8th place. Recently however, the rules now allow you to get one in as early as 4th place. This is likely trying to impose rubberbanding on both the players and the A.I. Drivers, making the game even more balanced broken than before. Usually, spiny shells cannot be found in Battle Mode. Spiny shells are also one of the many items that cannot affect a driver under the influence of a starman.

Spiny shells do not appear in Mario Kart Super Circuit or Super Mario Kart.