Rules and Competitive Format

Rules originally written by Gumby and maintained by YoyoYoshi for the MK64 Switch League. This page outlines the primary competitive rules, formats, and setup guidelines used throughout the organized Mario Kart 64 Nintendo Switch Online community.

This page covers the basics of how the MK64 Switch Discord works, how to get set up, how rounds are played, and what rulesets the community uses.

Rules Overview

Server Focus Competition, community, and fun

Default Ruleset Switch Rules

Main Round Format 16-track rounds

Main Goal Keep play fair, active, and easy to join

Community Rules

Use common sense and be respectful. No illegal or NSFW content. Harassment, discrimination, and other inappropriate behavior are not allowed in the server or anywhere connected to the community, including DMs and streams.

Do not use multiple servers to organize the same round, and do not send invites to servers that promote harassment. If something comes up, contact an admin directly.

Smack talk is fine as long as it stays fun and competitive. If it stops being in good spirit, it stops being okay.

Getting Started

1. Pick your continent role

This helps group players together for smoother online play.

2. Post your friend code

Drop your friend code in the friend-codes channel along with your country or time zone. If your Switch name is different from your Discord name, include that too.

3. React for roles

Use the reaction-roles channel so you can get pinged when people are trying to start a round.

4. Set up a round

Ask if anyone wants to play in the right channel depending on whether the round is more casual or more competitive. A standard round should aim to play all 16 tracks.

5. Choose a ruleset

Agree on the rules before starting. If no ruleset is chosen ahead of time, the round defaults to Switch Rules.

6. Pick your character

Be respectful and rotate if needed. In 4-player rounds, it is good form to take turns if everyone wants the same character.

7. Race and have fun

Play seriously and do your best, but keep it fun. Rage quitting, excessive targeting, and teaming up against other players are not okay.

8. Score the round

Use the scoring format that matches the mode being played. Standard formats are listed below.

Rulesets

Switch Rules

Non-shortcut racing
Cup order: Mushroom, Flower, Special, Star
Koopa Troopa ramp and Yoshi Valley hairpin are allowed
Shortcuts are only allowed if caused by an opponent’s item
Item glitches are allowed
In VS, do not use a lightning bolt if it would cause someone to fall on the Wario Stadium, Royal Raceway, or DK Jungle ramps unless that player has a ghost
In GP, the ghost exception does not apply

VA Rules

Non-shortcut racing
Koopa Troopa ramp and Yoshi Valley hairpin are allowed
Item glitches are allowed
Lightning bolts may be used freely anywhere

Kailera Rules

Non-shortcut racing
Do not use Koopa Troopa ramp or Yoshi Valley hairpin
Do not use item glitches
Do not use lightning bolts on the Wario Stadium, Royal Raceway, or DK Jungle ramps unless someone has a ghost
Use middleweights and heavyweights only: Mario, Luigi, Wario, DK, or Bowser

Shortcut Rules

All shortcuts are allowed except the Luigi Raceway start skip and the Frappe Snowland bridge glitch

Important: No ruleset allows backing into the finish line to manipulate points.

Character Selection

Be respectful and alternate after each cup if needed. If several players want the same character, give people a turn. Going back to the player select screen after each cup is a good way to keep things fair.

Conduct During Play

Everyone should try their best and take the round seriously, but still keep it fun. Brief pauses between races are fine if someone needs time to communicate, take a quick break, or talk through what happened.

Rage quitting, repeated targeting, or collaborating against other players counts against the spirit of fair play. Teaming up against other karters is considered cheating.

Scoring

2-Player GP Round

Play through all 16 tracks. The game keeps score automatically, but players can agree ahead of time to use a different method, like counting track wins instead of total points.

3-4 Player VS Round

1st place = 3 points
2nd place = 2 points
3rd place = 1 point
4th place = 0 points

2-4 Player Battle Session

Agree on the maps first. The winner is determined by maps won:

2 players: first to 5 maps won
3 players: first to 4 maps won
4 players: first to 3 maps won

Lightning Bolt Examples

These videos by Patalus show examples of legal and illegal bolt usage under Switch Rules:

Illegal Lightning Bolts
Legal Lightning Bolts

Start Here

If you are new, start by posting your friend code, reacting for roles, and checking the channels used to set up rounds. For more on the broader community, use the sidebar to explore the rest of the hub.