SpeedCubeLord Critique (12.82 Average of 5)

[SpeedCubingLord]

My goal is to get sub 12, but my solves are inconsistent. I need help recognizing where I need to improve, and want to know how I can improve my horrendous solutions.
https://cubedb.net/profile.php?id=1487

Spoiler: Solve 1

11.4sec

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

z2 // inspection
U R' F' L D U R' D F // cross
U2 L U L' U2 L U L' // 1st pair
U L' U2 L f R' f' // 2nd pair
L' U' L U L' U' L U L' U' L // 3rd pair
U R U' R' F R' F' R // 4th pair
U l' U' L U R U' r' F // OLL
U2 R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F' U // PLL

Spoiler: Solve 2

12.58sec


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

z2 // inspection
U' L F R' U' D' L D' F' // cross
U' L' U' L U2 L' U' L // 1st pair
y U' L' U' L U L' U' L U F' L F L' // 2nd pair
U' M U r U' r' U' M' // 3rd pair
d L U2 L' U2 L U' L' // 4th pair
U2 F' U' L' U L F // OLL
U' x L2 D2 L' U' L D2 L' U L' // PLL

Spoiler: Solve 3

18.27

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

y'z2 // inspection
B L F' U L U L D' F' D // unfinished cross
U L' U' L U' L' U' L y U2 L U' L' //1st Pair
U2 R U2 R' U F' L F L' //2nd pair
y L' U2 L y U' L U L' // 3rd pair
L' U' L U L' U' L//4th pair
M2' U2 M2' // finish cross
r' U2 R U R' U r2 U2 R' U' R U' r' //OLL
x L2 D2 L' U' L D2 L' U L' B2 // PLL

Spoiler: Solve 4

14.47sec

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

z2 y // inspection
L' F' L2 U2 F R' F' D L'D' //trash cross
L U' L' // 1st pair
L' U2 L U L' U' L // 2nd pair
y U' L' U L R U' R' U y' R' U' R // 3rd pair
U2 R U' R' U R U' R' U R' F R F' // 4th pair
U2 R U R' U R U2 R' F R U R' U' F'/ // OLL
U2 R U' R' U' R U R D R' U' R D' R' U2 R' / // PLL

Spoiler: Solve 5 (Best solve on video)

9.75sec (best solve on cam lol)

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

y z2 // inspection
L2 B2 U R' F D' // cross
R U2 R' U2 f R f' // 1st pair
U L' U' L y U' L U L' // 2nd pair
U L' U L y U2 L U L' //3rd pair
U R U2 R' U R U' R' // 4th pair
U F R' F' R U2 R U' R' U R U2 R' U // OLL

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

Also, don't ask about what happened in solve 3. We don't talk about that.

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

me critique tomorrow

 

[THE_V01DL0RD]

Spoiler: My Critique

TURN OFF AUTO-ROTATE

 

[Garf]

Easiest thing that I saw from your recons: you use a LOT of moves to solve F2L. Every pair can be solved in 8 moves or less (yes, even when the corner has the bottom layer color facing up, and that bad case). Work on reducing moves in F2L by sitting down and seeing if you can figure out a different way to do that pair in as few moves as possible.

 

[Fred]

Easiest thing that I saw from your recons: you use a LOT of moves to solve F2L. Every pair can be solved in 8 moves or less (yes, even when the corner has the bottom layer color facing up, and that bad case). Work on reducing moves in F2L by sitting down and seeing if you can figure out a different way to do that pair in as few moves as possible.

I just checked with Cube Explorer, and the case with corner solved but edge flipped in slot takes 9 moves. Also taking 9 moves are the cases with edge solved but corner twisted. Moreover, the move-efficient solution is not always the fastest, such as triple sexy. But yes, that is a looooot of moves in F2L, and also cross.

Anyway critiques. Solve 1: I recommend learning dual color neutrality. There's a really nice 4-move yellow cross here. For first pair, you can also do L U2 L' U L U L'. 2nd is fine, but 3rd/4th pair is begging for a pseudoslot: E' L' U2 L U L' U' L D'.

Solve 2: Another long cross, but it is a difficult one. Maybe you could try to preserve that pair, for example x2 U F U' D R L' D2 F' R2 B for xcross. You missed a free pair for 2nd pair, and you didn't need to rotate to solve the pair you saw: U' R U2 R' U' R U R'. Do you know EO recognition for F2L? It's a good way to know when to rotate. For the 3rd pair, an alternative solution is U2 R' U R U' R U R', which makes use of the open back right slot, but that leaves a terrible 4th pair so you did the right thing.

More critique later maybe.

 

[Garf]

I just checked with Cube Explorer, and the case with corner solved but edge flipped in slot takes 9 moves. Also taking 9 moves are the cases with edge solved but corner twisted. Moreover, the move-efficient solution is not always the fastest, such as triple sexy. But yes, that is a looooot of moves in F2L, and also cross.

Anyway critiques. Solve 1: I recommend learning dual color neutrality. There's a really nice 4-move yellow cross here. For first pair, you can also do L U2 L' U L U L'. 2nd is fine, but 3rd/4th pair is begging for a pseudoslot: E' L' U2 L U L' U' L D'.

Solve 2: Another long cross, but it is a difficult one. Maybe you could try to preserve that pair, for example x2 U F U' D R L' D2 F' R2 B for xcross. You missed a free pair for 2nd pair, and you didn't need to rotate to solve the pair you saw: U' R U2 R' U' R U R'. Do you know EO recognition for F2L? It's a good way to know when to rotate. For the 3rd pair, an alternative solution is U2 R' U R U' R U R', which makes use of the open back right slot, but that leaves a terrible 4th pair so you did the right thing.

More critique later maybe.

There's an 8 move solution now for the (R U' R' U') (R U' R' U) R U' R' case.
It's F R' F' R U R U R'.

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

Easiest thing that I saw from your recons: you use a LOT of moves to solve F2L. Every pair can be solved in 8 moves or less (yes, even when the corner has the bottom layer color facing up, and that bad case). Work on reducing moves in F2L by sitting down and seeing if you can figure out a different way to do that pair in as few moves as possible.

Anymore tips for improving F2L? Thank you for the heads up btw, i didn't know my f2l is that bad.

 

[SpeedCubingLord]

I just checked with Cube Explorer, and the case with corner solved but edge flipped in slot takes 9 moves. Also taking 9 moves are the cases with edge solved but corner twisted. Moreover, the move-efficient solution is not always the fastest, such as triple sexy. But yes, that is a looooot of moves in F2L, and also cross.

Anyway critiques. Solve 1: I recommend learning dual color neutrality. There's a really nice 4-move yellow cross here. For first pair, you can also do L U2 L' U L U L'. 2nd is fine, but 3rd/4th pair is begging for a pseudoslot: E' L' U2 L U L' U' L D'.

Solve 2: Another long cross, but it is a difficult one. Maybe you could try to preserve that pair, for example x2 U F U' D R L' D2 F' R2 B for xcross. You missed a free pair for 2nd pair, and you didn't need to rotate to solve the pair you saw: U' R U2 R' U' R U R'. Do you know EO recognition for F2L? It's a good way to know when to rotate. For the 3rd pair, an alternative solution is U2 R' U R U' R U R', which makes use of the open back right slot, but that leaves a terrible 4th pair so you did the right thing.

More critique later maybe.

I know how EO works, but I dont exactly understand how to implement that inti my solves. Do you reccomend a certain video that is explains EO recog?

 

[Garf]

I know how EO works, but I dont exactly understand how to implement that inti my solves. Do you reccomend a certain video that is explains EO recog?

 

[Fred]

I just checked with Cube Explorer, and the case with corner solved but edge flipped in slot takes 9 moves. Also taking 9 moves are the cases with edge solved but corner twisted. Moreover, the move-efficient solution is not always the fastest, such as triple sexy. But yes, that is a looooot of moves in F2L, and also cross.

Anyway critiques. Solve 1: I recommend learning dual color neutrality. There's a really nice 4-move yellow cross here. For first pair, you can also do L U2 L' U L U L'. 2nd is fine, but 3rd/4th pair is begging for a pseudoslot: E' L' U2 L U L' U' L D'.

Solve 2: Another long cross, but it is a difficult one. Maybe you could try to preserve that pair, for example x2 U F U' D R L' D2 F' R2 B for xcross. You missed a free pair for 2nd pair, and you didn't need to rotate to solve the pair you saw: U' R U2 R' U' R U R'. Do you know EO recognition for F2L? It's a good way to know when to rotate. For the 3rd pair, an alternative solution is U2 R' U R U' R U R', which makes use of the open back right slot, but that leaves a terrible 4th pair so you did the right thing.

More critique later maybe.

Solve 3: Another great example of why you should learn dual color neutrality. Easy 4-move yellow cross. Faster way to do 1st pair is U2 L' U' L2 F' L' F L' U L. 3rd pair should have been U' R' U2 R2 U R'.

Solve 4: What I would have done for cross is z2 L' B U F' L R' F2. An improved version of your cross would be z2 y L' F' L2 U' D L' B (L U2 L') D' with the parenthetical addition turning it into an xcross. 3rd pair should have been solved rotationlessly with U2 R' U2 R U R' U' R, or better yet keyhole in the blue-orange edge with u' R' U R u.

Solve 5: This is your fastest cross! And F2L went really smoothly too! Great solve.

 

[Caleb Valenzuela]

whoops 1 day turned into 2 weeks sorry

1. Cross and Dual Color Neutrality
White cross for most solves were quite mid so it’s best that you learn dual CN. I recommend doing untimed solves while waiting in the clinic or waiting for your food in the restaurant and doing them only on yellow cross. I know you already know how to solve efficient crosses i won’t mention anything on that. Also if you are gonna do the M2 U2 M2 cross you should just finish OLL and then do the M2 U2 M2 (if you know 4x4 you can even influence a better PLL)
2. F2L
Your F2L solutions are weilong so it’s about time you make them weishort (cubing dad joke and time + moyu watch strap??). I suggest looking at some algs from speedcubedb to find the most optimal solutions and some videos from the “F2L algs you didn’t actually know” series. It’s sometimes better to rotate than to do a long rotation-less algorithm. Once you learned better F2L algorithms make sure you fully know them so that lookahead becomes easier. This is one of your biggest weaknesses.
3. Lookahead
You sometimes get too ahead of yourself when the solution is easy and start going all out on the TPS (such as the 14.47) which butchers your lookahead. Remember that fluidity is more important than TPS. Turn a bit slower until you do F2L with little to no pauses. Focus on this after learning dual CN and better F2L algs.
4. Some drills
1.) cross bootcamp
basically just scramble the cube and count how many moves it took you to solve it. It should be no less than 8 moves. Then try to solve it as fast as possible even if you get it wrong (to succeed you must fail)
2.) blind solving (again)
pretty sure i mentioned this last time but you will need to keep doing it again and again because it’s good for you. make sure you use the optimized F2L algorithms and not the old ones. See my previous critique to know what i’m talking about.

i will do a more in-depth analysis at your solves with twizzle and i will show what i would have done.