[Help Thread] Roux Discussion and Help

[TDM]

<M,U,R>: U M' U R U R' U R U' R'
Shorter in STM/ETM: U M' U R U R2 F R F'

You can find all the cases where the last pair in on F here.

 

[GuRoux]

in most of my second blocks i place the DR edge first, then solve the next pairs. another trick that might be useful in the second block is to use "unnecessary" Rw moves to help look ahead.

 

[Cheese11]

Do you guys have any tips for when there are no premade blocks for first block. How do you find the first block?

Find the DL edge and pop it in it's slot, then just build your back and front blocks from there. At least that's how I learnt..

 

[arcio1]

Do you guys have any tips for when there are no premade blocks for first block. How do you find the first block?

1. Look for pairs, use them. (in some cases it's better not to use them)
2. If there are no pairs, look for edges connected to their centres, use them.
3. If there are no edges connected to their centres, then ;_;

 

[TheOneOnTheLeft]

1. Look for pairs, use them. (in some cases it's better not to use them)
1b. Check if there's an edge in a good position to turn that pair into a 1x2x2.
2. If there are no useful pairs, look for edges connected to their centres, use them.
3. If there are no edges connected to their centres, then ;_;

Just making it clearer when to ignore pairs.

 

[Kirjava]

show us a bad scramble you wanna see blocks for...

 

[jdbryant]

Here's one I just did...

Scramble: U2 B' F D F2 D' U2 F2 U' B2 F L' D2 U' B' D U' L' R B L2 F' U' R' B2 D L' R2 U2 F2

Spoiler: My bad solution

y2
B u' R2 U B M2 B'
U R U' R U' M U' R' U R' U' r U r2' U r U2 M r' U' r
U F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U' R' U' R U R' F' R U R' U' R' F R F'
M' U M' U2 M' U M' U2 M U2 M2' U' M U2 M U2 M2

First block is good (and super easy). The second block is where I think I really need help. 2-look CMLL ate up like 27 STM. Also, could the LSE have been any more efficient? Thanks!

 

[TheOneOnTheLeft]

Found a 45 STM solution, although I'm sure a few moves could be shaved off in LSE. Also I think someone better at Second Block would have found a better block, but which didn't lead to a CMLL skip.

x' R r u' M U2 R2 F // First Block (7/7)
U M' U M U R' U M' U R U R2 U' R' U M2 U2 r' U' r // Second Block (20/27)
M' U M' U2 M U M' // EO (7/34)
U2 M' U2 M' U2 M2 U // UL/UR (7/41)
M U2 M' U2 // EP (4/45)

 

[MWilson]

Here's one I just did...

Scramble: U2 B' F D F2 D' U2 F2 U' B2 F L' D2 U' B' D U' L' R B L2 F' U' R' B2 D L' R2 U2 F2

Spoiler: My bad solution

y2
B u' R2 U B M2 B'
U R U' R U' M U' R' U R' U' r U r2' U r U2 M r' U' r
U F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U' R' U' R U R' F' R U R' U' R' F R F'
M' U M' U2 M' U M' U2 M U2 M2' U' M U2 M U2 M2

First block is good (and super easy). The second block is where I think I really need help. 2-look CMLL ate up like 27 STM. Also, could the LSE have been any more efficient? Thanks!

First square obviously fine, but the pair could have been u R' u'. Edit: To be clear you combine that with the square moves.

Second square, after your FB, maybe U R' r' U M' U R U R.
Pair is icky but I would do R U M' U' R' U R U R'.

Look ahead and smooth turning is by far the most important thing about the second block, not move count. Be as efficient as you can, but don't worry if one solve it's 12 moves and the next it's 22, that's just how it is. The second block will generally remain the part of your solves you're least proud of. Your solution was actually fine.

Try to finish the second block with either a single or double layer turn depending on the centers, so that you have top or bottom center on top. It makes look ahead to the LSE much easier assuming none of your CMLLs result in an M or M' to the centers, which I haven't seen before personally. There are some tricks you can do with unaligned centers in LSE but it's not really worth it. If I'm wrong I'll be told in a reply shortly

There's a lot of room for improvement in the LSE. I have no idea what the U M' U2 M' was for at the start, but after that you had a 4b on top and one on bottom, and the one on top was between it's opposite color corner stickers. In that case, you should move the top edge down, then U2, then bring it back up. You did M' U2 M U2 M2, could have been M U2 M'. 4c was fine of course.

My LSE there would have been: M' U2 M' U2 M U u2 M E2 M. I predict the dot case by seeing that there are two bottom color edge stickers on top during the 4b and that those edges are on sides with opposite color edge/corner stickers, along with that I'm doing a 4b case where I drop the top edge down, U2, then back up.

 

[CheesecakeCuber]

Could anyone analyze and give some tips on this solve? I average about 17-18 seconds.

Scramble: B2 L F2 L2 D2 F2 L' F2 L F2 L2 D F R B' D U' B' U2 L'

Spoiler: My Solution

INSPECTION: y'
FB(Blue block): R' U' R U' B F U' F r' F (meh...really inefficient)
SB(Green block): U R' U2 R r U R' U2 R' U R U' R' U R
CMLL: (U2) R U R' U' R' F R F'
LSE: U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M' U2 M' U2 M2 U' M2 U2 M U2 M

 

[Renslay]

Could anyone analyze and give some tips on this solve? I average about 17-18 seconds.

Scramble: B2 L F2 L2 D2 F2 L' F2 L F2 L2 D F R B' D U' B' U2 L'

Spoiler: My Solution

INSPECTION: y'
FB(Blue block): R' U' R U' B F U' F r' F (meh...really inefficient)
SB(Green block): U R' U2 R r U R' U2 R' U R U' R' U R
CMLL: (U2) R U R' U' R' F R F'
LSE: U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M' U2 M' U2 M2 U' M2 U2 M U2 M

First thougts: decent FB, decent SB, good CMLL, too much turn for CMLL.

alternative FB:
y'
U r F' r' B' R' r2 B'
from there:
U2 r U r' U r' U2 r' M U2 r U R'
U F' r U R' U' r' F R
M' U2 M' U2 M U M2 U' M' U2

Using your FB:
y'
R' U' R U' B F U' F r' F
alternative SB:
R2 U M U' r U' R2 U M' U2 R' U r
from there:
U' R' F R U F U' R U R' U' F'
U M' U2 M' U2 M' U' M2 U' M' u2 M u2

Using your F2B+CMLL:
y'
R' U' R U' B F U' F r' F
U R' U2 R r U R' U2 R' U R U' R' U R
U2 R U R' U' R' F R F'
from there:
M2 U M U M' U2 M' U2 M' U M2 U M U2 M

 

[GuRoux]

Could anyone analyze and give some tips on this solve? I average about 17-18 seconds.

Scramble: B2 L F2 L2 D2 F2 L' F2 L F2 L2 D F R B' D U' B' U2 L'

Spoiler: My Solution

INSPECTION: y'
FB(Blue block): R' U' R U' B F U' F r' F (meh...really inefficient)
SB(Green block): U R' U2 R r U R' U2 R' U R U' R' U R
CMLL: (U2) R U R' U' R' F R F'
LSE: U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M' U2 M' U2 M2 U' M2 U2 M U2 M

I think everything was okay about the solution. just keep practicing look ahead, CMLL recognition, and LSE smoothness.

 

[Kirjava]

U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M' U2 M' U2 M2 U' M2 U2 M U2 M

U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M U2 M U' M' U2 M'

 

[CheesecakeCuber]

U M2 U' M' U M' U2 M U2 M U' M' U2 M'

Thanks, Kirjava

 

[Laradoodle4]

This may seem like a silly question but could someone please tell me how to quickly do M and M' moves one handed? I don't understand how to use the table to help and right now I still have to use Rw, R' which is fiddly and takes time.

 

[chardison1980]

the best way that ive seen is how alex lau does it, is table abuse

 

[CheesecakeCuber]

This may seem like a silly question but could someone please tell me how to quickly do M and M' moves one handed? I don't understand how to use the table to help and right now I still have to use Rw, R' which is fiddly and takes time.

I think he knows that using the table is best.

What I do is rest the bottom of the second block on the table at about a 45 degree angle (give or take depending on preferences). Then use my left (or right depending on which hand you use for OH) ring finger to push DB to FB as M'. I use my left index to push UB to UF for M or I will use ring finger to push FB to DB.

 

[GuRoux]

I think he knows that using the table is best.

What I do is rest the bottom of the second block on the table at about a 45 degree angle (give or take depending on preferences). Then use my left (or right depending on which hand you use for OH) ring finger to push DB to FB as M'. I use my left index to push UB to UF for M or I will use ring finger to push FB to DB.

I use the side of the first block instead of the bottom, probably doesn't make much of a difference.

 

[rj]

I think he knows that using the table is best.

What I do is rest the bottom of the second block on the table at about a 45 degree angle (give or take depending on preferences). Then use my left (or right depending on which hand you use for OH) ring finger to push DB to FB as M'. I use my left index to push UB to UF for M or I will use ring finger to push FB to DB.

Only disadvantage (for some people) is that this only works really well with a full-sized cube.

 

[chardison1980]

i was trying to tell him to watch one of laus OH roux solve videos so he could see what we are talking about