bldcuber314's Road to 5BLD NR- Quitting cubing?

[bldcuber314]

Finished learning the parity algs for 3-style, I'll probably try to learn top face targets for 3-style corners now, similarly to how I learnt Orozco.

 

[bldcuber314]

I'm going to Stevenage March 2025 tomorrow, no BLD events so my focus is 2x2.

Goals-

2x2- Make finals, sub 3 average, PR single
4x4- PR average or PR single
6x6- Overall PB to make time limit(5:30)
Mega- Make cutoff, sub 2 average(probably won't happen, cutoff is 1:45)

 

[bldcuber314]

I registered for Peterborough Odd Day 2025! It's kinda far and the week before WSM, so hopefully everything goes to plan and I'm able to go. The events are 3x3, 5x5, 7x7(time limit is 7:30 so might not compete), 3BLD, OH and 5BLD. My main focus is 5BLD. There's a cumulative limit of 45 minutes which means I might not be able to fully safety, but I still have a chance at NR mean. Even if I don't get a mean, at least this is another chance to try get a single and qualify for Great Lakes and UKC.

 

[bldcuber314]

Stevenage March comp recap-

2x2 R1- 3.14, 3.10, 5.71, 1.72, 6.68
Average- 3.98
5.71 was a +2, really bad average. PR single by .05, but the scramble had low 1 potential.

2x2 R2- 4.00, 2.98, 2.58, 5.12, 3.74
Average- 3.57
This was also pretty bad, but at least it made finals.

2x2 finals- 4.46, 4.35, 2.35, 2.38, 4.34
Average- 3.69
Really annoying to not get sub 3 average at this comp, but these scrambles weren't great anyway.

4x4 R1- 1:57.52, 54.28, 58.32, 1:54.22, 53.90
Average- 1:15.61
The 1:57 , and the 1:54 were both pops. Without these the average would have probably been around 55, PR by 14 secs and overall PB by 4 secs... PR single though!

6x6 finals- DNF
I had to borrow a 6x6 because mine is broken, and also had to relearn parity. Then I messed up the solve and got a pop, so I didn't make time limit.

Mega R1- 1:52.92, 1:37.50, 1:49.22, 1:58.14, 1:46.29
Average- 1:49.48
Overall PB average and almost PB single!

Not the results I hoped for(except in Mega), but it was still a fun comp, next one is Peterborough! Also I met @Thomas.Caleb

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Stevenage March comp recap-

2x2 R1- 3.14, 3.10, 5.71, 1.72, 6.68
Average- 3.98
5.71 was a +2, really bad average. PR single by .05, but the scramble had low 1 potential.

2x2 R2- 4.00, 2.98, 2.58, 5.12, 3.74
Average- 3.57
This was also pretty bad, but at least it made finals.

2x2 finals- 4.46, 4.35, 2.35, 2.38, 4.34
Average- 3.69
Really annoying to not get sub 3 average at this comp, but these scrambles weren't great anyway.

4x4 R1- 1:57.52, 54.28, 58.32, 1:54.22, 53.90
Average- 1:15.61
The 1:57 , and the 1:54 were both pops. Without these the average would have probably been around 55, PR by 14 secs and overall PB by 4 secs... PR single though!

6x6 finals- DNF
I had to borrow a 6x6 because mine is broken, and also had to relearn parity. Then I messed up the solve and got a pop, so I didn't make time limit.

Mega R1- 1:52.92, 1:37.50, 1:49.22, 1:58.14, 1:46.29
Average- 1:49.48
Overall PB average and almost PB single!

Not the results I hoped for(except in Mega), but it was still a fun comp, next one is Peterborough! Also I met @Thomas.Caleb

you should be grateful you didn’t completely fumble 2x2 like i did (kinda salty about it ngl)

 

[CubeLite]

you should be grateful you didn’t completely fumble 2x2 like i did (kinda salty about it ngl)

Do you want to see a 2x2 fumble?

 

[Thomas.Caleb]

Nice to meet you for the first time

 

[Thomas.Caleb]

I registered for Peterborough Odd Day 2025! It's kinda far and the week before WSM, so hopefully everything goes to plan and I'm able to go. The events are 3x3, 5x5, 7x7(time limit is 7:30 so might not compete), 3BLD, OH and 5BLD. My main focus is 5BLD. There's a cumulative limit of 45 minutes which means I might not be able to fully safety, but I still have a chance at NR mean. Even if I don't get a mean, at least this is another chance to try get a single and qualify for Great Lakes and UKC.

I can’t go to Pete borough odd day cuz I’m only aloud to do one comp per month and I already have Coventry that month plus it’s to far but good luck for it

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

Do you want to see a 2x2 fumble?

do you want to see a skewb fumble?

 

[CubeLite]

do you want to see a skewb fumble?

I'm the fumble

 

[bldcuber314]

I've been practicing a lot of 5BLD(most of my progression is in the race to official 5BLD mean thread). This is giving me less time to work on 3-style corners, which was what I was doing while my 5x5 was apart(I finished learning the parity algs) so I'll try to find another time of day to do that.

 

[bldcuber314]

When I got my first 5BLD mean earlier I didn't roll it so that when I got faster I could more comfortably roll it to be sub WR100. Now my safeties average 12 minutes, so I rolled it and got a 12:36 single, making the mean 15:20! WR96 if official! Hopefully I can keep rolling it.

Generated By csTimer on 2025-03-09
mean of 3: 15:20.96

Time List:
1. 15:58.11[9:12 memo, safety] Dw' L2 Rw2 B2 Lw Dw2 Bw Dw Bw2 Rw Dw' Rw L2 D Bw' L' F2 B' Bw L2 B' Dw2 Fw F B2 Rw' D Rw' B' Rw R' Uw' Lw2 Bw' R Dw Fw L2 Bw L' Rw2 Dw' Fw L2 F2 Bw R' Rw' U2 Bw Dw2 Uw2 D' U2 L Fw U2 D2 Rw' L2 3Uw'
2. 17:28.63[Safety, 9:55 memo, sub NR mean!!! 13:51 to roll WR99] Dw F2 D2 U2 Dw' Uw' Fw B' Dw2 L Rw F2 Lw' Fw' D' Uw' Dw U Rw2 Lw B Lw2 Fw' Uw2 Lw' D2 B2 Rw2 Bw L U2 Rw' U' Dw2 Bw Dw' Fw' U F' Fw' U' B Uw Bw' B2 U' R Fw2 R2 U2 Lw2 Bw2 Dw' U F2 Uw' L' U' D' Fw' 3Rw2 3Uw'
3. 12:36.15[safety, 7:02 memo] Lw' B2 Dw' Bw2 Fw2 D2 Lw Uw D Lw' D' Dw' Bw R Bw F' Lw' L' D2 Dw2 Fw2 Dw' Bw2 D' Uw' R2 Fw' Dw' B2 U Rw Fw B U2 Dw Rw2 R' F' Lw' Fw2 Rw2 Dw B2 Fw' D L2 F2 Lw Bw' Dw2 D Uw Fw2 Bw' Lw Bw2 D' Bw' Uw L2 3Rw' 3Uw

 

[bldcuber314]

I kept rolling it.

Generated By csTimer on 2025-03-10
mean of 3: 13:25.07

Time List:
1. 12:36.15[safety, 7:02 memo] Lw' B2 Dw' Bw2 Fw2 D2 Lw Uw D Lw' D' Dw' Bw R Bw F' Lw' L' D2 Dw2 Fw2 Dw' Bw2 D' Uw' R2 Fw' Dw' B2 U Rw Fw B U2 Dw Rw2 R' F' Lw' Fw2 Rw2 Dw B2 Fw' D L2 F2 Lw Bw' Dw2 D Uw Fw2 Bw' Lw Bw2 D' Bw' Uw L2 3Rw' 3Uw
2. 13:58.77[Safety, 7:45 memo] D' U2 L2 D2 B2 L F' Fw L F2 Bw2 Fw B2 Dw2 D2 U B2 Fw Lw2 U B' Dw2 B' D F Dw2 F' Fw Uw Lw' B2 Fw U Lw' Rw' F2 R Dw' F' Bw2 R2 Lw2 Bw Lw2 B Fw' Uw2 R2 F2 B' Rw2 B U' Bw' F2 B' Rw2 Bw2 Rw' Fw2 3Fw
3. 13:40.30[Safety, 8:14 memo] F U2 D' B Bw' Fw' U' Lw' D' L2 U Bw' Rw R B Fw Lw2 L B2 U2 Dw Lw F2 L Rw' D2 Fw F2 Rw Uw' Fw2 Bw B2 Lw2 L' F Fw2 Rw2 L2 R2 U2 Bw' U2 Dw Rw' D B Lw Fw2 D Bw' Rw2 Fw' Bw Dw' L2 B Fw Bw' R' 3Rw' 3Uw'

WR74, AsR18 and NR if official, the first solve was from yesterday so I think I'll start practicing more compsims to do 3 attempts in one go(probably only weekends though). I now have 6 5BLD successes in a row so a 5BLD ao7!

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

does your brain get tired lol

 

[bldcuber314]

3.53 PB Pyra ao12-

Generated By csTimer on 2025-03-14
avg of 12: 3.53

Time List:
1. 2.64 U' B' U B' L B' U L l r b
2. 4.12 L' R' U L R' L U R U' l' r
3. 2.62 R' L B L' U' B' U' R' l r
4. 3.58 R' L' U B R' U B' U' l r' b' u
5. 3.23 R L' U' L R' U L' U' r'
6. (2.50) U R' L' U' R B U' L U' l' r'
7. 4.54 L R U' B' L U' R' U l' r'
8. 3.05 L' U L U B U L U' b' u
9. 2.66 U' L U' B L B' L' U' l' r b'
10. (5.93) U L' U L R U L' R U' l' r b' u
11. 4.87 L' B R' U L R' L' U' l' b u'
12. 3.97 B' U' L' U' L B' R L l r' b

 

[bldcuber314]

After a 5BLD DNF where I quit the solve just after almost finishing x-centers, I decided to hand-scramble it and do a 5x5 solve. I got a 1:59.74(PB by over 11 seconds), but should I count this as PB?

 

[AJT17]

After a 5BLD DNF where I quit the solve just after almost finishing x-centers, I decided to hand-scramble it and do a 5x5 solve. I got a 1:59.74(PB by over 11 seconds), but should I count this as PB?

I feel like hand scrambled big cubes are usually fine to count, since it's unlikely that hand scrambling would have much influence after first 2 centers. But it's up to you, if you think it was too easy, or if you think it felt like a normal solve you can decide to keep it or not.

 

[bldcuber314]

I feel like hand scrambled big cubes are usually fine to count, since it's unlikely that hand scrambling would have much influence after first 2 centers. But it's up to you, if you think it was too easy, or if you think it felt like a normal solve you can decide to keep it or not.

Yh I'll count it

 

[bldcuber314]

Finally sub 10 5BLD single!!! I've been grinding 5BLD every morning for this, huge relief. Also WR142, AsR38, NR5 if official, and sub UK Championship 2024 podium. I don't think that means I have a chance to podium at UKC 2025 bc last year had a slower podium, but I'm getting closer.

Generated By csTimer on 2025-03-16
single: 8:41.49

Time List:
1. 8:41.49[3:25 memo, finally] L2 Lw Bw F Lw2 F2 Fw2 Lw' R Fw2 Uw' U Rw2 U Dw2 F B R2 Fw' B R' D L2 Fw2 Dw2 R2 Uw2 D' Lw2 Fw2 B2 Rw2 U2 Lw Bw U D2 Rw U Dw2 Rw D Uw L B' Rw2 Fw2 Bw2 R' Lw' Uw' Lw2 Rw L2 U2 F2 Dw Rw Uw F2 3Rw2

 

[bldcuber314]

So a comp got announced in Japan with 5BLD and it's happening the day before my first 5BLD comp. I can still get a mean, but if NR gets broken there(which it likely will) it would make it much tougher to beat for me, especially if it's from somebody much faster(there are a couple of Japanese 5BLD solvers who average 6 mins). I guess there's nothing I can do about what happens at that comp, so I'll just keep grinding and hope I get a chance at the record. This also gives me more reason to focus on speed, as the record might get broken to a time that's faster but still within reach. Ideally I want to be able to safety sub 12, maybe sub 11 solves by May. There's good news here, as my memo must have improved a lot- I found out today that my 3:25 memo in my PB single was actually faster than the 3:28 memo in the Japanese NR single. Obviously I need to work on exec though, as my exec was over 3 minutes slower(I don't want to try 5BLD 3s at this point bc of success rate).

Anyway, it sucks that NR might be broken before my comp, but at least this is good for the cubing community in Japan and the Japanese BLD community definitely deserves a chance to compete after so long without comps.