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Advanced F2L Tricks

ProStar

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In this thread, I'll be sharing advanced F2L tricks every couple days or so. Feel free to share a cool trick you've learned!


Advanced F2L Trick #1
If you have a B U' B' insert, instead of rotating to turn it into R U' R', try this:

f R' f'

A quick, rotationless insert! To fingertrick it, start with your left hand in an OH type grip, except with your pointer finger on the S slice. Your right hand should be in home grip, except for your pointer finger, which should be resting on the B layer of the R face. Push with both pointer fingers to perform the f, then perform the R' while sliding your right pointer finger from the B layer of R to the S slice, allowing you to do an f' easily
 
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brododragon

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Something that I've picked up: If both pieces of the F2L pair are in different slots and correctly oriented, you can use D moves to pair them up, take out the pair, fix the D layer, and insert it.
 
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In this thread, I'll be sharing advanced F2L tricks every couple days or so. Feel free to share a cool trick you've learned!


Advanced F2L Trick #1
If you have a B U' B' insert, instead of rotating to turn it into R U' R', try this:

f R' f'

A quick, rotationless insert! To fingertrick it, start with your left hand in an OH type grip, except with your pointer finger on the S slice. Your right hand should be in home grip, except for your pointer finger, which should be resting on the B layer of the R face. Push with both pointer fingers to perform the f, then perform the R' while sliding your right pointer finger from the B layer of R to the S slice, allowing you to do an f' easily
This can be used for any B insert.
f R f'
f' L f
f' L' f
 

xyzzy

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I thought that was a bad habit and inefficient so I stopped doing it lol
I don't really know, it's just something I do.
It isn't especially efficient, that's for sure. This costs one D move, a trigger to take out the pair (3 moves), another D move and maybe a rotation, and finally another trigger. That's 8 moves in the best case, but usually you'll have some AUF to do as well, so that's more like 8.5 moves.

(Which is also not to say that this is necessarily a bad idea. I haven't consciously done this enough to be sure, and I find unavoidable misslotted pieces to be very rare anyway.)
 

Sub1Hour

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Regarding Keyhole in general, its a great tool to use for stuff like pseudo-slotting, and it can also be used in certain situations where edges and corners are already in, but you shouldn't be using it for every single pair. It's only worth doing in certain situations so most of the time you are gonna want to do a normal F2L solution
 

ProStar

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Advanced F2L Tricks #2

So you're doing a solve, but then you insert a pair into the wrong slot. Normally, the solve is ruined. But if the correct slot is in FR, then you can easily solve it without disrupting F2L

Correct slot if FR, the pair is in BR: R' F' U F2 R F'
Correct slot if FR, the pair is in BL: L R U2 R' L'
Correct slot if FR, the pair is in FL: F R U' R2 F' R

Your solve is saved!
 
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Spacey10

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Advanced F2L Tricks #2

So you're doing a solve, but then you insert a pair into the wrong slot. Normally, the solve is ruined. But if the correct slot is in FR, then you can easily solve it without disrupting F2L

Correct slot if FR, the pair is in FB?: R' F' U F2 R F'
Correct slot if FR, the pair is in BL: L R U2 R' L'
Correct slot if FR, the pair is in FL: F R U' R2 F' R

Your solve is saved!
 

sqAree

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I think these algs are game changing f2l algs that every sub 15 solver should know. They're mirrors of each other.

F R' U' R F'
F' L U L' F

they come up more than you would think in solves, and the other way to solve those either requires 2 rotations or 9 moves and 1 rotation.

Agreed. Same idea / principle can be applied to other cases too, for example R F U F' R'.
 

Nmile7300

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One case that comes up a lot is where you have the corner and edge in a way where it is like the triple sexy move insert, but it is in the wrong slot. If the corner and edge are to the left of the correct slot, hold them in the front and do a sledgehammer. Then it will become a free pair you can insert into the back. Same thing goes for when it is to the right, do a lefty sledge to make it a free pair. Finally, if the corner and edge are diagonal from where they need to be, hold the edge in the back left, put the corner in the front right, and do R2 u R2 u' R2.
 

ProStar

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One case that comes up a lot is where you have the corner and edge in a way where it is like the triple sexy move insert, but it is in the wrong slot. If the corner and edge are to the left of the correct slot, hold them in the front and do a sledgehammer. Then it will become a free pair you can insert into the back. Same thing goes for when it is to the right, do a lefty sledge to make it a free pair. Finally, if the corner and edge are diagonal from where they need to be, hold the edge in the back left, put the corner in the front right, and do R2 u R2 u' R2.

The normal way to solve that pair is sledge->insert, so those aren't anything new. The last one is awesome though


Also, in my opinion you should use Sledge->Insert to solve it if it's in a wrong slot, but use sexy*3(or inverse sexy*3) if it's in the correct slot, because using the sledge will require an F move insert
 
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