F2L Pairing Frustration

[nitrocan]

I have been running into this kind of thing quite often. I wanted to ask what you people do when you run into it.

For example, you completed the cross, you insert the first pair. Then looking at the top layer, you only find one edge piece that you can use (no corners either), and the corner that matches is at the other side of the cube. This always gets me frustrated because I panic and keep rotating the cube for weird possibilities. This example isn't the only case. You can also have nothing at all in the top layer, or you could have two pairs, inserted at the wrong slots while being oriented completely incorrectly. (this could also be corners swapped and oriented incorrectly, edges permuted correctly but oriented incorrectly) To sum up, the problem is not having enough pieces to work with on the top layer.

I usually do intuitive moves and they appear to be inefficient (maybe because I'm not so good with them). When this happens, it's usually a failed solve for me. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Deleted member 4527]

sometimes you can keyhole it, but usually I just take stuff out from the first two layers.

 

[SuperNerd]

This, my friend, is the number one reason why you should use Cross-On-Left. I find that with Cross-On-Left, I can examine more of the cube as I'm solving an individual edge pair, so it doesn't happen as often.

 

[CubesOfTheWorld]

Maybe try learning algorithms for those cases.

 

[iasimp1997]

Maybe try learning algorithms for those cases.

NO ****

 

[CuBeOrDiE]

when it's at the other side i usually bring it up by doing L U L' or R' U R. then again, you could use keyhole or pairing within the first two layers...

 

[nitrocan]

when it's at the other side i usually bring it up by doing L U L' or R' U R. then again, you could use keyhole or pairing within the first two layers...

The thing is, I always try to pair or set the cubies in one moveset, and then insert them afterwards with 3-4 moves (unless it's a F2L alg). So if there is only one usable edge piece on the top and its matching corner is at DBL, it takes me the most to find where it is, and then I waste even more time by matching it if the corner is oriented incorrectly. Worse, if there isn't anything usable on the top. Then I need to get a random edge out, match it and then put it back which just takes me forever. Then I just DNF Maybe I really need to keep looking ahead for bad situations like this.

 

[Joël]

One thing that might be helpful is to try to solve the first pair, or even the first two pairs to the back... In other words, if you have to do a cube rotation for you first pair, instead of rotating so you can solve the pair to one of the front slots, rotate it the other way, so you can solve it to the back. I heard Breandon usually tries solving the first pairs to the back, and I also do this sometimes.

Also, when you have one corner down in the wrong slot, and one edge in the U layer, there is always a way to 'dig up' the corner in such a way that the pair becomes 'paired up' (e.g. positioned in such a way that it can be solved in 3 or 4 moves, depending on it's relative position to it's target slot). Some of these 'digging' moves can make your life a lot easier... And, many of them are quite easy to miss when learning F2L.. Like these:

R U2 R' U R' U' R

U' R U' R' U' R' U' R

 

[nitrocan]

One thing that might be helpful is to try to solve the first pair, or even the first two pairs to the back... In other words, if you have to do a cube rotation for you first pair, instead of rotating so you can solve the pair to one of the front slots, rotate it the other way, so you can solve it to the back. I heard Breandon usually tries solving the first pairs to the back, and I also do this sometimes.

Also, when you have one corner down in the wrong slot, and one edge in the U layer, there is always a way to 'dig up' the corner in such a way that the pair becomes 'paired up' (e.g. positioned in such a way that it can be solved in 3 or 4 moves, depending on it's relative position to it's target slot). Some of these 'digging' moves can make your life a lot easier... And, many of them are quite easy to miss when learning F2L.. Like these:

R U2 R' U R' U' R

U' R U' R' U' R' U' R

Yes! I definitely need more of these. I'll get searching. There doesn't seem to be any "No usable piece on U layer though. I guess I'll just do some random R U' R' when that happens.

 

[guitardude7241]

This, my friend, is the number one reason why you should use Cross-On-Left. I find that with Cross-On-Left, I can examine more of the cube as I'm solving an individual edge pair, so it doesn't happen as often.

it doesn't matter where you have your cross at, except for cross on u. that's just dumb(u cross)

 

[miniGOINGS]

it doesn't matter where you have your cross at, except for cross on u. that's just dumb(u cross)

Yea. And so is a 7.08 WR.

 

[Cyrus C.]

When I ran into these cases when I still used CFOP, I just used variations of the beginners method algorithm (R U R' U') F' U' F. I'd use (R U R' U') T w F' U' F.

Excuse my horrid variables.

 

[mehdi-roshan]

hi

rubik's cube ==> record 25:20 s

Iranpuzzle

www.iranpuzzle.com

 

[Inf3rn0]

hi

rubik's cube ==> record 25:20 s

Iranpuzzle

www.iranpuzzle.com

Hi

Oh and WTF?!? :confused:

 

[Andreaillest]

hi

rubik's cube ==> record 25:20 s

Iranpuzzle

www.iranpuzzle.com

Err, wrong thread fella.

 

[PhillipEspinoza]

Cross on left.

 

[RyanO]

it doesn't matter where you have your cross at, except for cross on u. that's just dumb(u cross)

Cross on B is pretty darn bad also.