Zor-Maxim

Zor-Maxim is a Shadow Sun Syndicate monster of the Collaborators agenda. Zor-Maxim was released in Series 1: Rise.

Zor-Maxim's raw stats make him the one of the most straightforward monsters in the game. He is fast and makes Power Attacks with ease. When playing with Zor-Maxim, stay on your opponent, and do not relent until you have pounded his monster into a pile of worm food.

Proportions:
 * Height:57 Meters
 * Weight:7,000 Tons

Alpha

 * Very few alpha forms have 3 Boost on their power attack; if you are successful in securing at least one Power Zone or building, Zor-Maxim will usually power attack starting on the very first turn. He should be played with a number of buildings that inflict more than 1 damage when collided with; an opponent who fails to screen himself or stand in clear terrain can be Thrown, Smashed, or Body Slammed for severe damage with little difficulty.  Zor-Maxim's high Defense makes it difficult to retaliate.
 * If Zor-Maxim fails to power up, he should usually Brawl with a minimal number of action dice in order to trigger Siphon, laying in a power die for a second consecutive monster activation in which to perform the power attack. (Obviously, this will depend on other factors, such as the target's Defense and the availability of abilities such as Shuffle.)
 * Blue Infiltrate makes Zor-Maxim's units effective at damaging an enemy powerbase.
 * Collaborator units which start their movement next to Zor-Maxim get a boost to their already impressive mobility; it isn't usually worth going out of your way to set this up, but it makes a nice bonus on occasion. For extra style points, combine Motivator with the blue Hasten of Mega Gorghadratron, potentially moving an Interceptor or Katana up to nine spaces!  (To say nothing of using Underground Network.)

Ultra

 * Super damage power attacks with 4 boost dice make Zor-Maxim very potent. If unable to align the target, try Swatting one of his units at his monster.
 * Ultra Zor-Maxim's Blast attack appears little more than ornamental, but thanks to 3 boost dice and Armor Piercing, it can be quite effective despite the low Action Dice available. It can be especially handy for destroying a powerbase due to the stacking of Armor Piercing and Infiltrate.
 * No other monster can match UZM's defense of 8, making him a serious pain for factions accustomed to stacking up multiple damage on unit turns or using dice-inefficient multiple attacks such as Follow Through. Hitting UZM will usually require an opponent's entire turn, which can cripple entire strategies.

Mega

 * Mega Zor-Maxim is usually regarded as the most powerful monster in the game, very difficult to beat unless playing a monster which specifically thwarts it (such as Mogroth). A 4-Boost, Range 7 blast attack which deals super damage would be powerful enough, but adding Beatback to that means it is not difficult for MZM to routinely attack for as much as 6-8 damage (knocking the enemy monster into 2 or 3 buildings with hazards or Spire).  Between this and the general potency of the Shadow Sun Syndicate's units, MZM accounts for a significant percentage of tournament forces.
 * Mega Zor-Maxim can exploit his range advantage even further due to his easy access to Cloak provided by Shadow Gates. This allows him to snipe from maximium range and push the enemy monster away while remaining safe from almost any retribution.

Other Media

 * Zor-Maxim was mastered by Eric T. Huffman on September 1, 2011.
 * "He Said, He Said: Mega Zor Maxim" (podcast)