Scrabble Cubes Guide- Part 2
Part 1
Johan's Comprehensive Scrabble Cube Guide: Part 2
(Part 3 Will be up shortly)
Layout cube: The "board" that you play on, consisting of 27 smaller cubes.
Triple Word Cube (TWC): The red cube in the very center of the layout cube- It triples the point-value of the word being played (Before point bonuses for length are applied.) Using this cube in conjunction with a Double Word Cube will not cause a 6x Multiplier. The resulting effect would still be 3x. It can, however, be used in combination with double/triple LETTER cubes.
Double Word Cube (DWC): The pink cubes in the bottom-front corner and the top-back corner of the layout cube- This cube double the point-value of the word being played. Additional details are the same as the Triple Word Cube.
Triple Letter Cube (TLC): This cube is the dark-blue cube in the top-front corner, and the bottom-left and bottom-right corners of the layout cube. They triple the point-value of the letters appearing on this cube and only on this cube. (For instance, if a Triple letter cube holds a K, M, and I, the K (Normally worth 5 points) will be worth 15 points when played. The M (Normally 3) will be worth 9, and the I (Normally 1 point) will be worth 3. This bonus can be compounded with the Double Word Cube and Triple Word Cube for an extra bonus (K * Triple Letter Cube * Triple Word Cube = 45 Points)
Double Letter Cube (DLC): This cube works just like the triple letter cube, but offering only double the original point value instead of triple. This cube is light-blue in appearance and can be found in the back-bottom corner of the cube or in the top-left and top-right corners of the cube.
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Intermediate Level of Play
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Once you've got down the fundamental aspects mentioned in the Beginner's section, then you're headed down the right path. Now we'll just take things one step further, and add some of the other aspects into the mix. You should be scoring above 600 pretty consistently by now. Perhaps a bit more or a bit less depending on individual skill. Hopefully, by the time you master this section, you should score around 750 on average, and occasionally bust into the 800's and even 900's!
-Conservation: You should be wholly familiar with this concept by now. You've got plenty of practice looking past the 3-4 letter words to play 5 letter words. This doesn't mean you're done, though. You've got a great foundation, it's time to build! But don't fret, building a 5 letter word into a 6 or 7 letter word is very simple! There are dozens of 7-letter words scattered about in the board, but asking you to notice each and every one is too unreasonable. The simplest and easiest way to locate 7-letter words is to scout out key letters, and take note of how they're set up. By simply adding a prefix or a suffix to a 4-5 letter word, a 6 or 7 letter word is inevitable.
Some of these key letter set-ups are -ED, -ER, -ERS, -ING, -IER. If you see any of these letters nearby each other, pay attention to it! There's almost certainly a root word to add that suffix to. "ROUSTED, STUFFER, NETTERS, BOATING, FURRIER," et cetera. E, R, and S are very common letters, so a lot of your 7-letter words will likely end in ER and ERS.
Also, keep an eye out for UN-, PRE-, PRO-. Things like "UNSTRAP, PRETEEN, PRORATE" and other words with those suffixes are also very common.
Just as you should keep an eye out for Suffixes and Prefixes, keep an eye out for letters you find in the middle of words too! Some of my favorites are "IGHT", "TCH", "NCH", "NGLE", "TTLE". Watching out for those, you can find words like "LIGHTEN, LIGHTED, DELIGHT, NIGHTLY" or "BATCHES, KITCHEN, PATCHED, HITCHER", or "TANGLED, MANGLES, JINGLES", or "LITTLER, TATTLES, CATTLE, BATTLED" et cetera.
Most importantly though, don't limit your search for 6-7 letter words to when these letters are available! Always keep an eye open! These barely scratch on the long list of 7 letter words in the English language, and if you keep your eyes open, you'll get better at finding more obscure ones like SENATES, ETHNICS, et cetera.
-Combos: I explained this concept briefly in the beginner tutorial, but here's where you'll really get to apply it.
Let's take a look at this image. The Triple Word Cube is clearly exposed, and can be used for some pretty high-scoring combos. How are these combos achieved? Well, the individual bonus for using a letter from the Triple Letter Cube is added in before the multiplier from the Triple Word cube takes effect. What does that mean? Well, it means some really high-scoring words! For example:
The B on the bottom-right Triple Letter Cube is worth 3*3 points, for 9 points. If you use a word to connect that to the Triple Word Cube, that letter alone is worth 27 points! Or how about that Z on the Double Letter Cube? That's 2*10 points, for 20 points. Connect that to the Triple Word Cube, and you're guaranteed more than 60 points!
If you weren't aware of how big of a difference the bonus cubes make, what words might you play in this situation? "SMILE" is an option, which would amount to 31 points-- Or "FOOL" for 36 points. If you take the time to try and connect a high-scoring letter from the Double/Triple Letter Cubes, though, let's see the potential!
"BROIL" Makes use of the combo aspect, and would be (9+1+1+1+1)*3, amounting 39 points for the letter value alone. Then, there's a 10 point bonus for playing a 5-letter word. That's 49 points! It's the same length and base value as SMILE, but, since the B fell on the Triple Letter Cube, and you connected it to the Triple Word Cube, that's an extra 18 points. That alone is a worthwhile alternative, But! Let's not forget what we've been drilling, which is word length! Before we play "BROIL", can we improve any? Yes! On the same two cubes exist an E and an M. What can we do with that? Add it on to the front, of course! And play "EMBROIL!" How much of a difference does that make? Well, it's now (1+3+9+1+1+1+1)*3, for 51 points, plus a 50 point bonus for playing a 7-letter word! That's, Holy cow! 101 points!
While we're typing in EMBR, though, and seeing the YOS next to it, a new word comes to mind! EMBRYOS! I can tell already this is going to be a big score, because it uses two high-scoring letters already on a Triple Letter Cube. But, with a clear mind and not being too hasty, I notice that there's also an O on the Triple Word Score, and can use these high-scoring letters in conjunction with it! Therefore, we get (1+3+9+1+12+1+1)*3, for 84 points, plus the 50 point bonus for using a 7-letter word! That's 134 points, from one word!
Thereafter, one use remains for the Triple Word Cube. This could be used to simply play "EMBRYO" without the S, for 28 less points, earning 106 points.
Of course, I wouldn't expect a learning player to be able to pull those words so easily. However, you should be able to notice it quickly once you practice and master both the conservation and the combo aspects preached in this section, and use them to supplement each other. But, For the sake of showing the importance of comboing, even when such fortunate words aren't available, let's go over some of the other possibilities. Connecting the Z would be simple and obvious. You could play "ZOO" (20+1+1)*3 for 66 Points, or "ZOOS" (20+1+1+1)*3 +5 for 74 points. Perhaps a bit more difficult to spot, "CALORY", (3+1+1+1+1+12)*3 +25 for 83 points.
Extra tips:
- Don't get too reliant on comboing. If no high scoring words are available, don't go on a cube-deleting rampage trying to find some. Play instead the highest scoring word you can find, or, better yet, try and find a 6-7 letter word to play in conjunction with the Triple Word Cube. The length bonuses are always a good thing, and you'll rack up a few points to combo just by using so many letters. Example in the picture above: "CALORIE", (3+1+1+1+1+1+1)*3 for 27 points, plus a 50 point bonus for playing a 7-letter word, totalling 77 points. By playing a 7-letter word in stead, you've made just about as many points as if you played "CALORY" with the Triple Letter Y. This is why I preach conservation first and foremost, conservation is the foundation and everything else is supplemental.
- When the cubes fall down into place at the beginning, watch the bottom-left and bottom-right Triple Letter Cubes. You might be able to notice ahead of time what letters are on them, so you don't waste cubes and time trying to get to them if nothing is there.
- Also, regarding 1-point letters. These may seem undesirable on the Triple Letter Cube, but if you manage to use several of them, it can add up. For instance, TELLERS is a word made up of entirely 1-point letters. If 5 of the letters fall on the Triple Letter Cubes, then that's (3+3+3+1+1+1+3+3)*3 +50 for 104 points.
-Again, feel free to post here asking for more advice, clarification, constructive criticism, et cetera.
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Originally Posted by rahnnyboy
combo
