There are two battle modes in Mario Kart Wii: Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. All battles are played with two teams: a red team and a blue team. 12 people compete against each other for points, and the team with the most points wins the round. In Balloon Battle, you earn points by popping the other team's balloons. In Coin Runners, you earn points by collecting coins.
Wii Stages[edit]
Block Plaza[edit]
In Block Plaza, there are blocks everywhere! Get Item Boxes and hit the other team to pop their balloons or take their coins. Go up to the higher area to get item boxes. Lay bananas at certain areas of the track. If you have enough bananas, you can make the other team have to navigate through a maze of bananas to get to certain areas, or, if you're lucky, you can trap the other team in one spot. If you are on the upper level and someone from the other team is on the lower area, you can throw a Red Shell at them and pop their balloon (in Balloon Battle) or go over to them and steal their coins (in Coin Runners). After a certain amount of time, parts of the course will be gone, turning into bottomless pits that you can fall into.
Delfino Pier[edit]
This battle stage takes place near water. There are ramps with Boost Pads on them, so you can get item boxes. At the start of the battle, you can only stay in the area near the water and the gates. Halfway through the battle, the gates will open and the bridge will lower. During the last minute the water will rise, forcing everyone to move up to higher ground. When the bridge lowers you can go across it. The bridge leads to the roof where there are more item boxes and ramps.
Funky Stadium[edit]
At the start of the battle, everyone starts off the map on boost pads in groups of three, and make an entrance into the map using big ramps. There are three boost pad ramp areas. One of them has three lumps with boost pads on one side, and has a boost pad ramp going around the other side. Another one has a vertical boost pad ramp with halfpipe ramps on either side of it. The other side of this ramp area has a boost pad going all the way around it, just like on the other one. The final and centered boost pad ramp area has a steep incline on one side and down the other. The opposite side is the same way, but it has a tunnel going through it. There is a halfpipe ramp going all the way around the stadium. Collect item boxes by jumping off the ramps and use it to hit the other team. Here is a good strategy if you have an item. Go into the tunnel and hide there. If you see someone from the other team, you can throw a Red Shell at them. If you are in Balloon Battle, you can use a mushroom to steal the other team's balloon.
Chain Chomp Wheel/Chain Chomp Roulette[edit]
As with Funky Stadium, everyone starts off the map on boost pads and make an entrance to the map, only this time everyone has their own starting point rather than starting in groups of three. Try to avoid getting squashed by the Chomp. You can get item boxes by jumping off the ramp in the center of the stage, or by using the halfpipe ramps. If you have an item, you can throw it at the other team.
Thwomp Desert[edit]
This stage is basically a circullar quicksand pit surrounded by cacti, with a Thwomp in the middle of the stage, as well as some Thwomps buried in the sand. When the Thwomp hits the ground, it creates waves in the quicksand that pushes you away from the center. Collect some items near the Thwomp, and use them to hit any opposing players you come across.
Retro Stages[edit]
SNES Battle Course 4[edit]
In this battle stage, there are several walls of four different colors (green, red, blue, and yellow). There are pathways between the walls that have item boxes and coins (Coin Runners only). You can hide between the walls and when you see someone from the other team, throw something at them. Try not to go into the sand in the middle of the stage, because it slows you down and someone from the other team will most likely hit you.
GBA Battle Course 3[edit]
In this stage, there is an L-shaped wall near each corner of the track. There are some item boxes that can help you hit the other team with items. Try to hide near the L-shaped walls and throw an item at the other team. This is a very useful strategy to pop the other team's balloons (in Balloon Battle) or steal their coins (in Coin Runners).
N64 Skyscraper[edit]
This battle stage is on the roof of a skyscraper. There are ramps located in different areas, such as in the middle of the track, and near the edges of the track. Collect item boxes and use the items to hit the other team. Anytime you see someone, throw an item at them, but avoid falling of the stage.
GCN Cookie Land[edit]
This stage has item boxes located in several places, so they are easy to collect. Hide in certain areas and throw items at people, or lay several banana peels in certain areas so that the other team will have to navigate through them, or end up running into them.
DS Twilight House[edit]
There are eight rooms in this stage, with each of them containing item boxes. A good strategy is to stay in the corner of the stage and, when you see somebody from the other team, throw an item at them. Lay several bananas in the same place and your rivals will most likely run into them.