The stony-visaged lord of Apokolips, DARKSEID, stands at #6 on my top 10 list of 2008.

I reviewed Darkseid back in March (http://www.pojo.com/heroclix/COTD/2008/Mar/7.shtml), giving him a rating of 4 out of 5. That rating still pretty much stands, as his lack of the Indomitable mechanic (which would fit him perfectly and make him ultra-playable even at 50 points more) makes him a bit more unwieldy compared to newer pieces. Still, there are a lot of reasons he's one of the best of the year:

1. Only 210 points with the stats of a bigger piece.

When a tentpole can run with the Fortitude feat and still fit on a couple of cheap supporters (say, Gee and Mercury for TK and tie-up/MM fodder, respectively) or a solid 2nd attacker, that's good.

2. Omega Effects.

Being able to teleport foes, blast through reducers or past figs and hindering is really flexible and powerful. Especially since you can mix and match most of these effects.

3. He's a heck of an upgrade over previous Darkseids.

The Hypertime and Icons models were OK but a product of their times. This is the REAL Darkseid, or pretty close to it.

4. Outwit.

It's nice that Omega Effect option 2 is penetrating damage -2. But it's better to have the option of turning off enemy Impervious to deal a full 4-6 clicks, right?

5. ...AND Perplex.

Thanks to this power, he can juice up his damage or his range just that extra little bit. In fact, the new rules of Perplex make this even better on him than before.

6. He's BRILLIANT TACTICIAN-friendly.

Another new wrinkle to the game since his debut makes this a legitimate feat to try on larger games of 500+ (where you could fit this and either Fortitude or Outsmart on him).

7. Mid-dial Mastermind + Willpower + Invulnerability.

Once he's in midlife, the presence of a meat shield or some pogs could keep him in the game for a LONG time.

8. 12 range.

This really should be higher on the list, except that it's the best thing and thus saved for last. With Perplex able to boost it to 13 anytime (and consequently making his anti-Stealth version a 7-range threat), range power makes the lord of Apokolips deadly.

9. Deadly team combinations.

As good as Darkseid is alone, certain teammates make him a real terror. A character with the Outsiders TA could nix the damage penalty to the penetrating option of Omega Effect. A stealthed meat shield (say, Joe Chill) could allow him to get safely close enough to use the anti-stealth option with near-impunity.

The sheer might and versatility of Omega Effects in a range-dominated game like HeroClix makes Darkseid the best yet on the list. A pity he's not Indomitable; it'd make him the best piece in HeroClix of the year even at 250 points.

We're only halfway through and we've already seen a god on the list. The next is decidedly mortal yet has a connection to Darkseid...