Mechanologist hit the scene 4 years ago and introduced Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire. Throughout the last 4 years, Dash has never been the dominant force of the metagame, but she has never been one to shy away either. Not having any good or bad matchups always makes her a strong contender for any event.
On October 6th, 2023, Bright Lights released and brought 3 more heroes to the Mechanologist class. While the original Mech hero was a jack of all trades, the new heroes chose lanes from Dash's toolbox and turned them up to 11. In this article. we are going to break down Dash I/O.
Spoiler alert! In the lore, Dash merges with a model of Data Doll to create her heightened senses. Dash I/O is the hybrid of Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire and Data Doll wrapped up into one package. She can look at the top card of her deck and play Mechanologist items from there as though they were instants - the Data Doll aspect of the hero. The bread and butter of a Dash that uses boost mechanics and Data Doll has always been aggression. This can play out in a few diverse ways with her deck, so let's review how one might construct the deck.
Ultimately there have been 3 successful variations of Dash I/O that most competitive players borrow from, and a fourth unproven way exists.
Beginning with Dash I/O’s earliest signs of success, we start with Thomas Dowling's list claimed 2nd at 2023 Calling: Melbourne, Dash I/O’s first significant showing a month after release. Heads were turning as this was a time when Bright Lights was receiving mixed reviews, and many felt LSS was removing power from the game. The deck was found to be capable of fast damage at a quick pace identical to the original Dash.
Even though the deck was littered with items, Tome of Fyendal and the ability to see the top card of a deck aided it in reliably getting off Maximum Velocity on any given turn. This has been historically difficult but rewarding for Mechanologist to perform - but Dash I/O’s ability, paired with Twin Drive, made this combo less elusive than it once was. The ability for her to look at the top of her deck created a strong influence on which turns would be acceptable to push damage and which would be good to be on the defensive. With the removal of Tome of Fyendal from the meta, it has been hard to make this list consistent, but future support looks to bring back its stability.
Shortly after, a different type of list made waves during March's Road to Nationals in the Philippines, claiming 1st in the hands of Franco Antonio Regalado. This list saw success by embracing the chaos of many items in the list and choosing to go big when applicable, using Bios Update to help pull out the titular Teklo Pouder. Dash I/O would launch a full assault at her opponent that felt impossible to weather.
With the release of Heavy Hitters, it seemed like Dash I/O was soon to be forgotten. New heroes hit the game that offered ways to easily fatigue her or to out-value her plays. But with Part the Mistveil returning the focus to combos, we saw Dash I/O show up again, piloted by Mara Faris at Nationals (Mara recently talked with Pheano about Dash I/O here). While there were a lot of similarities to the Dash I/O lists before it, this one opted for some meta relevant calls.
Scramble Pulse and Powder Keg were introduced as a sideboard option to aid in combating armor-heavy decks. Signal Jammer showed significant promise in reducing trouble from Azalea and Kano. Then in the main board we saw a card we didn't think we'd ever see in a constructed list: Soup Up.
The list focused on value-based aggression rather than trying to perform over the top. This led to it not being as easily outdone by fatigue while still pushing forward.
A fourth strategy not currently seen at the competitive level is Nitro-Mechanoid - which Alex Truell has written about for the Rathe Times. Using her ability, it becomes easier to see and play Hyper Drivers from the top of the deck, and it’s become easier to manage them via cards that add counter to hyper drivers when boosted and Supercell. Though this strategy is typically reserved for Maxx, it should never be put aside as a possibility for Dash I/O.
Most lists have some congruence that have made Dash I/O the threat that she is, and you can count on them in being in a deck.
- Boom Grenade is a powerful tool for straight on damage. One red Boom Grenade does 4 damage if a Mechanologist attack action card hits. If you manage to play one off of the top and crank it for an extra pistol shot, then it shares similar value to Teklo Pounder. Both have their own reason for touting their horn, but being able to play a surprise Boom Grenade puts her parity to Dash Inventor Extraordinaire.
- Backup Protocol is another important item introduced in Bright Lights. The Backup Protocol suite searches your graveyard for a card of the respected color. This is great for returning a Zero to Sixty to hand, Maximum Velocity, or finding a value piece of the puzzle you are missing. Aside from looking for red attacks, you may use the blue option to net a needed resource.
- Scripts are assorted items that do lots of things. There are scripts to put cards to the bottom of the deck, increase power, or decrease defense. There is even a script to give your Mechanologist attacks overpower. Scripts can be especially useful in delivering an extra oomph to your already wide chain of attacks.
- Teklo Core is a classic for heroes named Dash. Start the turn with 2 resources and it’s blue. The only downside is that it has no block value.
Besides items, there are some important cards to any Dash I/O deck you are likely to see.
- High Octane gives you an action point for every time you boost this turn. This lets you use Dash I/Os signature weapon, Symbiosis Shot, to it’s fullest power, or allows you to play an item from hand without using up your last action. It’s also a useful tool in decreasing the amount of cards you need to boost per turn. Expect to see this card in every Dash deck until the looming specter of a ban comes to fruition.
- Spark of Genius is another Mech classic. I’ve heard it referred to by many as one of the top 3 cards in the game. Not only does it let you search your deck for an item and eject it into play, but if you have boosted that turn it allows you the card draw to refresh itself.
- Heist is an option from Bright Lights that can easily be slept on. Its on-hit allows the attack to place an item from any banished zone into play under the attacker’s control. Against other item-using Mechs, this screams out value - but even just putting the weight of your own items, the on-hit can be quite powerful.
The new Armory deck for Dash I/O brings forth new items, new armor, and new card draw. The new Heavy Industry equipment suite allows for a total of 10 block just within itself. The abilities themselves vary in competitive levels, but are nothing to shake a stick at. Fast and Furious adds another 0-for-4 with upsides for banishing it to boost. Dash I/Os threat density is gaining ever higher with her above rate attacks.
After the recent “book burning” bans, we have been wary about generic card draw in the game. Some class-specific card draws remained in the game, such as Bloodrush Bellow. In this set we are getting a piece of Mechanologist-specific card draw called Cerebellum Processor, a blue item that enters the arena with 2 steam counters and has the crank keyword. It removes counters at the start of turn and has one action ability: for 0 resources, draw a card. This can seem a little questionable at first glance - the action does not have go again - but Dash I/O should be no stranger to netting action points as needed. By cranking other items, using Mechanologist boots, and utilizing High Octane, she should have the needed tools to make use of the card. Worst case scenario, you draw an arsenal for next turn. Cerebellum Processor has no cost to play it and does not have any downside except the inability to block. Paired with High Octane, many are waiting on the edge of their seats to observe how Dash I/O performs as Worlds with her new tools.
Dash I/O was released to be a formidable hero right onto the market. Giving her specific support through a new Armory Deck, and any future expansion slots are going to ensure she stays relevant within the minds of many competitive players. If we ever forget the power of Dash I/O, she will return to the meta and remind us. She already has in the past. Even when Zen was at its highest, we saw Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire be able to keep pace. Dash I/O isn’t as varied as her former self, but she does aggression so much better.
