Up until the Battle Tour and the Version 3.0.0 update, the player could spend five rubies to fire a pipe once or 45 to fire it ten times. Additionally, starting with the Wild West Tour, players can use an All-Clear Pipe that consists of a random High-End driver, kart, or glider after completing each cup within a tour, as well as the last two free pipe pulls being reserved for the second week's spotlight pipe. Since the Baby Rosalina Tour, players could fire at least two free pipe pulls during the tour, and the number went up to four pipe pulls since the Flower Tour. There are multiple types of pipes in the game, including the Today's Challenge Pipe, the All-Clear Pipe, the Multiplayer Pipe, and Token Shop pipes. A green pipe can fire any item available in the pipe, including High-End items, but if the pipe appears as a golden one, the player is guaranteed to receive a High-End. The player fires a pipe by dragging it down and releasing it, causing it to shoot out a driver, kart, or glider. Pipe Cannons reappear in Mario Kart Tour, where they are simply called 'pipes' and serve as a main method of obtaining drivers, karts, and gliders. A Pipe Cannon is also used to reach the Rainbow Course. 2, where they function the same as they did in New Super Mario Bros. Pipe Cannons reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Another type of Pipe Cannon makes an appearance in the minigame 1-up Blast, where the player(s) can enter these cannons and aim before they blast themselves and attempt to pop balloons to earn 1-Ups. Wii, retaining the same functionality from New Super Mario Bros.

To use these pipes, unlike in Super Mario World, players enter one and then are automatically fired off, often to an unreachable ledge or platform or even a different area. Pipe Cannons reappear in New Super Mario Bros., where they are similar to the Warp Cannons that are used to travel to a different world, except they fire the player within a much smaller range. These pipes cannot be entered and are always exited via a different pipe, usually from an underground area. Pipe Cannons first appear in Super Mario World, where they are always on a slant and fire the player to far places (about two or three screens away).

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