Words of Mass Destruction: Part III

The Goliath of tiles is irrefutably the Z. The last letter of the alphabet is oft the first in the minds of every aspiring Scrabble adept, and rightly so. It is not merely a dangerous tool, even in the most inept racks it can be wielded lethally and with impunity. Knowledge of the Z confers far more than its ten points, it can make or break a game. The Z can be an albatross around one's neck or the Holy Grail of the game.

Short Z words such as ZA, ADZ, BIZ, COZ and ZEK are abstruse enough, but when you augment your word knowledge with behemoths like LUTZ, OYEZ, ZARF, ZEBU, ZYME, ZOUK and the like, large scores become titanic. However, the Z is as liable to hamstring the game as much as it helps. It can become an onus in the hand, turning 7 letters into six. The unadulterated power of raw memory makes the Z more than formidable and knowing the Z words is of utmost, unparalleled, importance.