Necesity of extra F2L tricks?

[Crzyazn]

I wish to reach sub20 (currently averaging 22), and i'm wondering if some extra f2l tricks are worth learning (multislotting, empty slot algs, etc) are needed to reach a consistent sub20 average...

How far will the standard 41 cases carry me before i should start experimenting with advanced add-ons?

[Lotsofsloths]

Hah
I was thinking the SAME thing at your level, just regular practice worked for me though..

[*LukeMayn*]

Sorry Lotsofsloths i would have to disagree (even though you are better than me...), I assume you have learnt all the algs

How far will the standard 41 cases carry me before i should start experimenting with advanced add-ons?

now I think you should learn intuitive (trust me this might help) and DO USE FREE SLOTS!!!! this is a good example... you have a white cross done, you see you first case which is a White, blue, red corner with white on right and red on top in UFR posistion. the edge has blue on top and is on LU. using empty slots you can do a very easy to execute, R' U R2 U R' but not using empty slots you have to use a dull U F U F' U' R U R'. There are lots of times were you can do tricks like that for empty slot twice in F2L. Multi sloting meh, almost no-one does it unless it is extremely easy.

[Crzyazn]

well, as stated above, im averaging 22 seconds. But what i didn't clarify was that i WAS ALREADY using intuition.

After comparing my "intuitive algs" to an actual set of the real ones, i find that mine are pretty much right on except for a few weird cases (which i have already learned). This is why i say i've learned all 41 cases, even though i never used brute force to memorize them all

[badmephisto]

There are a few obscure cases in F2L that are hard to solve intuitively and many times there exists a trivial clever way of doing them. "Stuck Pieces" come up a lot during the solves, and many of them have a pretty elegant solution that is worth remembering. I would say these techniques, while not essential to reaching sub20, would make it much easier.

[dChan]

Well, I'm slower than Lotsofsloths(average and single times in my signature) but I use opposite color solving, extended cross/block-building, empty slots, and LL edge control/orientation control with my last pair(which gives me a decent amount of OLL skips). Of course, in F2L your main problem might be look ahead as with most other cubers. When I really look ahead(anticipating every single step and how to solve it) I can get 16 seconds and below easily but when I am just going regular, everything above 16 is what I get. It is really hard to look ahead so I think that is the one 'trick' you should really try to master.

Also, it should not take you more than 8 moves for each corner edge pair. If it does take you more, either find a different way to do it or learn the algorithm.

I do suggest that you learn as many F2L tricks as you can(although multislotting is a bit much). Don't assume though that it will make you instantly faster. With various tricks you will find that it will actaully be even harder to solve fast until you can look ahead an do each case efficiently.

Remember: learning more is always good but looking ahead will help you alot in the long run.

[ExoCorsair]

F2L tricks are not necessary for sub-20.

[*LukeMayn*]

F2L tricks are not necessary for sub-20.

Yes but in the long run they will help you so you may as well learn them now, I'm not sub 25 but I use them

[badmephisto]

also, forget F2L completely! Remember that Erik has demonstrated sub20 average with the beginners LBL method. But really, how long do you think that would take you?

[Harris Chan]

Well, you have to learn then at some point, might as well be now. Keep your brains active lol. F2L needs a lot of practice, and learning different ways of solving the same case, so that you may pick the best algo for each situation--the angle, if there are empty slots, etc.