[Help Thread] F2L Discussion and Help

[DNF_Cuber]

How do you all perform the inserts for the following cases at THIS SPECIFIC ANGLE, with green facing you? In all eight of the situations shown the F2L pair is connected and the white sticker is directly above the slot the pair goes into. Let's pretend these aren't all last slot scenarios; I am looking for good/common ways to insert the pair into left and back slots.

Case 1&2 - Front right slot
Case 3&4 - Front left slot
Case 5 &6 - Back left slot
Case 7&8 - Back right slot

Cases 1,3,5,7 can all easily be inserted without rotating. How would you handle the insert for cases 2,4,6,8? Rotations? Hedge at various angles? Something else?

It seems to me there are 2 fundamental cases an F2L pair can be in once connected and having the ability to execute those inserts from all 4 angles would be useful. Thanks,

View attachment 14388

to do misoriented pairs to the back I do f R' f' and mirror.

 

[EngiNerdBrian]

For 2 and 4, I would use U' F' U F and U F U' F' respectively. For 6 and 8, I use U' f' L f and U f R' f'.

Wow. These are great inserts of 6 & 8. I've never seen that before. Which fingers do you typically use for the front moves in 2 & 4? That has always felt so unnatural to me but I think Ii may be a finger trick/ability I need to learn.

 

[BenChristman1]

Wow. These are great inserts of 6 & 8. I've never seen that before. Which fingers do you typically use for the front moves in 2 & 4? That has always felt so unnatural to me but I think Ii may be a finger trick/ability I need to learn.

For both F moves, I push down with my right index, and for both F’ moves, I push up with my thumb. Other people might do other ways, but that’s what I find most comfortable.

 

[Cubing Forever]

How do you all perform the inserts for the following cases at THIS SPECIFIC ANGLE, with green facing you? In all eight of the situations shown the F2L pair is connected and the white sticker is directly above the slot the pair goes into. Let's pretend these aren't all last slot scenarios; I am looking for good/common ways to insert the pair into left and back slots.

Case 1&2 - Front right slot
Case 3&4 - Front left slot
Case 5 &6 - Back left slot
Case 7&8 - Back right slot

Cases 1,3,5,7 can all easily be inserted without rotating. How would you handle the insert for cases 2,4,6,8? Rotations? Hedge at various angles? Something else?

It seems to me there are 2 fundamental cases an F2L pair can be in once connected and having the ability to execute those inserts from all 4 angles would be useful. Thanks,

View attachment 14388

2) U' F' U F
4) U F U' F'
6) U' f' L f
8) U f R' f'

Hedges from the back:
Back left: f U' f' L
Back right: f' U f R'

Sledges from the back:
Back right: R f' U' f
Back left: r' U r B' (totally worth it as B' can be done from homegrip)

Can anyone give me an alg for the case where both the corner and edge are stuck in last slot twisted/flipped?

 

[xyzzy]

How do you all perform the inserts for the following cases at THIS SPECIFIC ANGLE, with green facing you? In all eight of the situations shown the F2L pair is connected and the white sticker is directly above the slot the pair goes into. Let's pretend these aren't all last slot scenarios; I am looking for good/common ways to insert the pair into left and back slots.

Case 1&2 - Front right slot
Case 3&4 - Front left slot
Case 5 &6 - Back left slot
Case 7&8 - Back right slot

Cases 1,3,5,7 can all easily be inserted without rotating. How would you handle the insert for cases 2,4,6,8? Rotations? Hedge at various angles? Something else?

It seems to me there are 2 fundamental cases an F2L pair can be in once connected and having the ability to execute those inserts from all 4 angles would be useful. Thanks,

View attachment 14388

1/3/5/7 are obvious.

Bold = regripless and no weird fingertricks.

2:
F' U F
F R' F' R
F' r' F r F = F' L' U L F
R B U B' R'

4:
F U' F'
F' L F L' = F' r U r'
F R U' R' F'
r' U' F' U r = L' B' U' B L

6:
y R' U R
B r' U' r
B' R' U R B
L F U F' L'

8:
y R U R'
x' U' R U l'
f U R' U' f'
R' F' U' F R

 

[EngiNerdBrian]

1/3/5/7 are obvious.

Agreed. Thanks for providing multiple solutions for the even cases!

@BenChristman1 @DNF_Cuber @Cubing Forever, how are you executing the f R' f' and mirror for back slots? I can't seem to find a finger trick solution that's comfortable. Are you starting with a regrip, homegrip, what's the scoop? Thanks!

 

[Bl4nk5]

I need help with F2L. When I am doing F2L, I have to spend a few second(s) to look around the cube to find the pieces necessary for the pair. I don't see other people doing it.
Is there some secret-underground technique or does it just come with experience?

 

[Deleted member 36445]

know your moves inside-out for every f2l cases, so that you don't need to look at the pieces moving when you're solving, you can search / watch where the other pieces will end while you're solving the current pair

maybe practicing solving each f2l pair without looking may help.

 

[Deleted member 55877]

Sounds like you just need to practice F2L more.

 

[SenorJuan]

You not only have to find a pair, you have to work out which of the 4 slots they need to be placed in, and at a more advanced level, be aware of which empty/unsolved slots are available to use, then you can work out if you need to rotate the cube ( y or y' typically ) to execute the solution. There's many hundreds of possibilities, so it's no surprise it takes several seconds to decide what to do. And LOTS of practice is needed to get this time down, and even more practice will allow some/all of this decision-making to occur while you are still solving the previous pair.

 

[fadsarmy]

Look for the next pair whilst solving a pair because you don't have to think whilst solving a pair.

 

[Deleted member 55877]

Look for the next pair whilst solving a pair because you don't have to think whilst solving a pair.

This is more advanced, at his level he is still probably getting used to F2L.

 

[fadsarmy]

Is rotating to solve cross bad in order to insert an edge in the back into a back slot?

 

[Deleted member 36445]

Is rotating to solve cross bad in order to insert an edge in the back into a back slot?

I tend to do r' U2 r or r' U r to solve an edge in the back position
but sometimes rotating is better

 

[fadsarmy]

I tend to do r' U2 r or r' U r to solve an edge in the back position
but sometimes rotating is better

Thanks, that's really helpful. What about if the edge is at the back in the bottom layer?

 

[Deleted member 36445]

Thanks, that's really helpful. What about if the edge is at the back in the bottom layer?

use this trigger:
y R' u R' u'

 

[fadsarmy]

y R' u R' u'

That's what I've been doing but Brody said "never rotate during cross."

 

[DNF_Cuber]

That's what I've been doing but Brody said "never rotate during cross."

set it up so the flipped piece is not in the back. I try to influence so I don't get that case.

 

[abunickabhi]

Lot of F2L cases are evolving as hardware keeps becoming finer. I also do a lot of wide r and l turns in F2L and also S move inserts sometimes.

There are lot of fingertricks possible in F2L, lots of creativity possible, U M' R' S R2 U' S2 U S r' U'.

 

[RoundUpCubing]

its insane how advanced high level f2l gets. wie move and s turns arent something id ever do haha, i stick to an occasional keyhole or xcross.