The Gold Mantis (ゴールドマンティス Gōrudo Mantisu) is a Kart used by Waluigi in Mario Kart DS, the others being the Standard WL and the Zipper.
Description[]
Waluigi on his Gold Mantis on the Select Kart screen.
The kart resembles a gold-colored backhoe, or a construction vehicle, and has an arm that resembles a scoop. The kart's inclusion in the game may be a reference to the game Wrecking Crew, a game for the NES that involved Mario and Luigi.
Staff Ghost use[]
| Course | Time | Player | Character | Kart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waluigi Pinball | 2:23:288 | Ninten★しんや |  Waluigi
|
 Gold Mantis
|
How to unlock[]
- Unlock Waluigi by completing all 100cc Retro Cups.
- Alternatively, the player can complete the 150cc Nitro or Retro Cups to unlock the Gold Mantis. This opens the Gold Mantis to both Mario and Donkey Kong, as Waluigi will not have been unlocked by then.
Statistics[]
Waluigi's Gold Mantis boasts high speed and decent acceleration, with above-average stats everywhere else, except for a low items stat. The Gold Mantis is a solid choice for a normal playthrough due to its overall above-average stat spread that yields no immediately apparent weaknesses, and is overall one of the better karts in Mario Kart DS. However, at higher levels of play, its average Mini-Turbo stat and poor offroad capabilities significantly hold it back from being able to maintain top boost speed throughout a whole race.
In competitive Time Trials, it is overall outclassed by the Shooting Star which trades some top speed for higher Mini-Turbo (even putting it above the PRB threshold), and even the Shooting Star is already completely eclipsed by the Poltergust 4000. Because it is worse than an already outclassed kart, the Gold Mantis is never seen in world record runs. Despite this, it remains popular casually, even among some high-level players, due to its unique design.
The Gold Mantis shares its speed with Luigi's Poltergust 4000, and it shares its handling and drift levels with Mario's Shooting Star. When used with Waluigi, its weight adds up to 64, which is the equivalent weight to both Mario and Luigi's respective Standard Karts when they are used by them, and it is also equivalent to the Wildlife when used by Donkey Kong.
Stats table[]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
| Mario Kart DS vehicle parts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karts | Mario | Standard MR • B Dasher • Shooting Star | ||
| Luigi | Standard LG • Poltergust 4000 • Streamliner | |||
| Peach | Standard PC • Royale • Light Tripper | |||
| Yoshi | Standard YS • Egg 1 • Cucumber | |||
| Toad | Standard TD • Mushmellow • 4-Wheel Cradle | |||
| Donkey Kong | Standard DK • Rambi Rider • Wildlife | |||
| Wario | Standard WR • Brute • Dragonfly | |||
| Bowser | Standard BW • Tyrant • Hurricane | |||
| Daisy | Standard DS • Power Flower • Light Dancer | |||
| Dry Bones | Standard DB • Banisher • Dry Bomber | |||
| Waluigi | Standard WL • Gold Mantis • Zipper | |||
| R.O.B. | Standard RB • ROB-BLS • ROB-LGS | |||
| Shy Guy | Standard SG | |||