Words of Mass Destruction: Part 1

Scrabble is a multifaceted pursuit but at its crux it is a chirocracy: ruled by force. To establish autarchic dominance over Scrabble one must become adept at those adamantine weapons of war: the power tiles. An acute knowledge of the J, Q, X and the Z is integral to developing one's game. The lesser of the titans are the J and the X which, though not as cumbersome as their 10 point kin, are nonetheless efficacious when used by the most green of novices. In the hands of a seasoned player they are deadly, if not fatal to an adversary.

The J is the more versatile of the two and the myriad combinations it engenders render the J a Colossus on the board. Several demotic words such as JAY, JAW, JUNK, JUKE and JINX can be used to great effect, which bodes well for the average player. However, when one has finesse enough to play words such as JUCO, HADJ, JEHU, JAUK and JEUX, the potential of the J can be fully realized. Larger and longer J words may translate into correspondingly massive scores.

The X is the more exotic, abstruse tile yet this endows it with the ability to be even more damaging than the J. It lends its wiles to the player with the most knowledge of how to use it and thus, in the right hands can be used several times to enhance ones score. The tyro will recognize the common conjugations such as BOXY, AXON, APEX, ONYX and WAXY. However, those are but a fraction of the X's power which encompasses words such as OXO, COXA, IBEX, ORYX and XYST. The X's vast range rivals J's but the X is the tool of the veteran. The 3-letter, 4-letter and 5-letter X words are assassin's tools.