Caleb Valenzuela's progression thread - Road to 3x3 world champion/NR holder // championship grind apparently is starting again

What should I learn next?


  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
Do you have a reconstruction of it?
here it is:
x2 // inspection
U’ R U’ R U’ R U’ R’ D2 r U2 r2 U r // 223 (14 moves)
R’ U’ R f R f’ // BR pair (6 moves)
F R’ F’ R // EO (4 moves)
U R’ F’ R U R U’ R’ F // FR PAIR + OLL (9 moves)
U R’ U R’ U’ R’ U’ R’ U R U R2 U’ // PLL (13 moves)
46 moves, 5.07 TPS
 
I finally get to go to a comp!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Redemption arc from the tragedy that was PhilChamps2025 (lol)

Anyway, my goals will be the same as PhilChamps2026 (cancelled for me btw), except there’s no skewb😭😭(sorry @CubeLite)
Here’s the plan:
The Philippine Championships 2026 just got announced, and even though I don’t know if I’m going to go, I’m gonna grind anyway. I have three months since the championship is on July 9-12. Also I don’t wanna go on all four days so I’ll skip 4x4 for this comp. So here’s my plans:
3x3:
Current average: 6.8
Goal by July 1: 6.6
Plan: Basically I’ll just keep grinding cross+2 and my turning. I might learn full 2GLL as well.
2x2:
Current average: 1.8
Goal by July 1: 1.6
Plan: Learn some EG-2 and LEG-1 cases as suggested by @EvanCuber1
3x3 OH:
Current average: sub-16
Goal by July 1: Sub-14
Plan: I’m not sure whether to use CFOP or APB for this. I guess for the first two rounds i could use APB and then in the finals switch to APB. But i sort of want to be an APB purist as well so i don’t know. @AJT17 do you have some suggestions?
and for the mystery event (which replaces 4x4)… I’m going to compete in… SKEWB!!!!
Skewb:

Current average: 6-8 seconds
Goal by July 1: sub-4.5
Plan: Relearn some of Sarah’s Intermediate and then learn Sarah’s Advanced. I need to work on my layers as well. @CubeLite is this plan good?

i hope i don’t bomb the solves again
i’ll have to lock in for OH and 2x2 though because there’s only one round each, so i’ll probably just use CFOP for OH. I also haven’t been practicing cross+2 so i need to back to that💀
I also found an xcross/xxcross trainer on discord, some people are saying it’s “better” than c+1 or c+2 but idk. I’ll just train it anyway.
 
I finally get to go to a comp!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Redemption arc from the tragedy that was PhilChamps2025 (lol)

Anyway, my goals will be the same as PhilChamps2026 (cancelled for me btw), except there’s no skewb😭😭(sorry @CubeLite)
Here’s the plan:

i’ll have to lock in for OH and 2x2 though because there’s only one round each, so i’ll probably just use CFOP for OH. I also haven’t been practicing cross+2 so i need to back to that💀
I also found an xcross/xxcross trainer on discord, some people are saying it’s “better” than c+1 or c+2 but idk. I’ll just train it anyway.
good luck bro
 
sub-15??? (idk when I switched to CFOP though)
IMG_2986.webp
 
just got APB OH WB ao5 like 2 days ago

Generated By csTimer on 2026-06-27 (solving from 2026-06-23 18:44:47 to 2026-06-26 17:55:00)
avg of 5: 10.91

Time List:
1. 9.84 D' L2 R2 D F2 R2 D2 U2 F2 U B' D' U2 L' U' L U2 R' U2 F @2026-06-23 18:44:47
2. (9.33) R2 D2 R F R2 U' D2 F L U2 L' F2 R U2 D2 B2 U2 R L B2 @2026-06-26 17:45:12
3. 9.96 U2 B2 L2 U2 F' R' L' U L U B2 L2 U' F2 U R2 F2 B2 U B2 @2026-06-26 17:52:04
4. 12.93 F B U' R' U L2 U2 F U' F2 L2 U2 L2 U B2 U' L2 D' R @2026-06-26 17:53:43
5. (15.11) L F2 D2 F2 D' L U' D' R' B D2 F' U2 D2 R2 U2 B D2 R2 @2026-06-26 17:55:00

9.84:
z’ x’ y’ // inspection
U F’ D z U R U’ z’ r’ U r U’ r’ U2 r’ U2 r // 223
U D’ r U’ r’ D // EO+BR pair+DR edge
R U R’ U2 R U’ R’ // FR pair
U2 R U R’ U R U2 R’ // OLL
R U R’ U’ D R2 U’ R U’ R’ U R’ U R2 D’ U2 // PLL
52 moves, 5.28 TPS
9.33:
y // inspection
D’ R U2 r x’ D2 U F’ R2 r U r’ R’ U’ r’ U2 r // 223
U’ R’ U2 R U’ R // BR pair
U F’ U F // EO
R U R’ U’ R U R’ // FR pair
U R’ U2 R2 U R2 U R U’ R U R’ U’ R U’ R’ // ZBLL
49 moves, 5.25 TPS
9.96:
y’ z2 // inspection
R’ U’ R U R’ U’ R U’ D R U’ R’ D y z R’ U’ R U z’ R’ F R’ F’ R r U r’ R // F2L + EO I guess
U R U2 R2 U’ R2 U’ R2 U2 R // OLL
U M’ U’ M2 U’ M2 U’ M’ U2 M2 U2 // PLL
47 moves, 4.71 TPS
12.93:
y x’ // inspection
D R F2 U’ f z’ r U’ r’ U2 r R’ U r U2 r’ // 223
R2 U2 R’ U’ R U’ R // BR pair+DR edge
U’ F R’ F’ R // EO
U R U R’ U2 R U’ R’ U R U’ R’ // FR pair
U2 r U R’ U’ r’ F R F’ // OLL
R U’ R’ U’ R U R D z’ R z R’ U’ D’ U R’ U2 R’ // PLL
63 moves (trash, I know), 4.87 TPS
15.11:
z2 x’ // inspection
R2 D R D U2 z U R2 U’ R’ U R U’ z’ r U’ r’ R U r’ // 223
R U R’ U R U’ R // BR pair
U2 r U’ r’ U2 r U r’ // EO
U R’ U’ R2 U R U’ R U’ R’ U’ R U’ R’ U R U’ R’ // fake LXS I guess
F R’ F’ r U R U’ r’ // OLL
U R U’ R’ U’ R U R D R’ U’ R D’ R’ U2 R’ U // PLL
76 moves (absolute garbage😭🙏💀)

also
I got a 10.45 ao5 as well, but I didn’t count it since it had a duplicate scram
first time getting TWO counting 9s🔥🔥🔥
 
APB OH WB ao12 as well!
Generated By csTimer on 2026-06-29 (solving from 2026-06-20 15:43:55 to 2026-06-29 18:24:12)
avg of 12: 12.73

Time List:
1. 11.27 L U R B R D B R2 D' F2 R2 F2 D R2 D' B2 D2 B2 D' F' @2026-06-20 15:43:55
2. (15.56) D2 L2 U R2 D F2 U' L2 R2 D' U2 F2 R' D B' R' D2 F' D U2 L' @2026-06-23 18:39:54
3. 14.82 U2 R2 D B2 F' R2 B L2 D2 L2 D2 F' L2 B L U' R' D2 B D U' @2026-06-23 18:41:06
4. 14.22 U2 L2 B2 D2 F2 B' R D F2 U D R2 F2 R2 U' F2 D R2 D2 L @2026-06-23 18:42:35
5. 9.84 D' L2 R2 D F2 R2 D2 U2 F2 U B' D' U2 L' U' L U2 R' U2 F @2026-06-23 18:44:47
6. (9.33) R2 D2 R F R2 U' D2 F L U2 L' F2 R U2 D2 B2 U2 R L B2 @2026-06-26 17:45:12
7. 9.96 U2 B2 L2 U2 F' R' L' U L U B2 L2 U' F2 U R2 F2 B2 U B2 @2026-06-26 17:52:04
8. 12.93 F B U' R' U L2 U2 F U' F2 L2 U2 L2 U B2 U' L2 D' R @2026-06-26 17:53:43
9. 15.11 L F2 D2 F2 D' L U' D' R' B D2 F' U2 D2 R2 U2 B D2 R2 @2026-06-26 17:55:00
10. 13.05 D2 B2 R' B U' L2 U L F2 U' F2 B2 R2 D R2 U' B2 U B2 U2 @2026-06-26 17:55:36
11. 12.53 R' D' U2 F2 D2 F2 R2 U2 R2 B' U2 F R2 U2 L U R D2 B2 R2 B' @2026-06-27 11:37:03
12. 13.52 B F2 R2 U2 R B2 D2 F2 U2 L' U2 L' F L2 U' L B U F' @2026-06-29 18:24:12
 
competition is finished!
2x2 results:
Finals: 2.13 PR average! Also got a 1.60 PR2 single, which could have been PR if i didn’t lock up on the 7 move EG-1. Placed me at 3rd.
3x3:
R1: 6.25 PR Single!!! I also got a counting 6.52, but unfortunately i also counted a 9.07, and an 8 flat. 4th place with an 7.86 average. I had a bunch of mistakes in this, a cube drop on the second scramble, then on the 8.00 I did the wrong F2L alg (which could have been a good solve).
R2: 6.37 PR2 single, 7.89 average. I was on pace for PR, with a 7.3 and a 7.23 as the first two solves, then a 10.71 on the third, and a 6.37 on the fourth. The last scram was just not good though, and I couldn’t plan cross+1 so it ended up being a 9. I was mainly focusing on not getting WPA though, so it was alright. I think the 6.37 is my first official solve with a PLL skip, so that’s cool I guess.
Finals: 7.68 PR2 average, 6.40 PR3 single! This average also had PR potential (which would have been a win), but I just couldn’t pull it together on the last solve, and had a huge pause, mid OLL, and then an F perm💀. I was still able to snatch 2nd place and get my first 3x3 silver medal! Also got my first ever trophy!
3x3 OH: I was trying to use APB and CFOP, but none of them worked, and I ended with an 18.44 average💀💀💀. To be fair I didn’t practice much OH a few days before the comp, so these were basically my first solves back. I got an 8.44 OH single with CFOP during warm-up though lol, which is my CFOP PB.
 
guess who snatched yet another comp
also
@CubeLite
i’m competing in your favorite event
 
guess who snatched yet another comp
also
@CubeLite
i’m competing in your favorite event
PYRAMINX :mad::mad:
 
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