ZB Or CFOP?

[Isaac Webb]

Should I Learn ZB? I am thinking about it but it Is a lot of algorithms let me know what you guys think.

 

[Hazel]

ZB is essentially just CFOP with an advanced last slot and last layer. It can certainly be quite fast, with enough dedication. That being said, unless you're already incredibly fast with CFOP, there are probably more important techniques you can spend your time practicing than drilling hundreds upon hundreds of algorithms. IMO, unless you're already at least sub-10, just focus on the core CFOP steps.

 

[Josh Riker]

Should I Learn ZB? I am thinking about it but it Is a lot of algorithms let me know what you guys think.

There are a lot of factors that go into the answer to this question, for example: your goals, if you love/hate learning algs, if you have the time/motivation to drill and review algs frequently, if you're okay with the fact that you will actually become slower for a while and harm your rate of improvement overall, etc.

For most cubers, learning ZB will do more harm than good unless they are truly dedicated or doing it for fun. This is because you will improve way faster if you stick with CFOP and instead invest all of that practice/study time into inspection depth, cross/x cross efficiency, F2L efficiency, lookahead/prediction skills, turning/fingertricks, and perfecting the execution of your CFOP last layer algs. ZBLL recognition and alg recall takes a lot of practice to become fast at, and to some extent the same is true for ZBLS. You will be investing a lot of time into not only learning algs, but reviewing them with a trainer app so that you can improve your recognition speed and maintain those skills.

Personally, I am currently halfway done learning ZBLS, and also working on ZBLL after having started a month or two ago. It has already gotten me my first ever sub 30 on 4x4, but overall it has made my solving slower across all NxNs, which is to be expected. I am simply doing it for fun because I love the method and don't struggle with learning algs, but I am aware that objectively speaking it is not the best choice relative to my goals as a cuber. That said, it has been quite fun and rewarding for me personally, and I'm sure the same is true for some people out there.

ZB will likely be mandatory for world records as two-looking solves becomes more common soon, but 99% of cubers can achieve their goals without it. Ultimately, you will need to consider these things and ask yourself what it is that you want in cubing, how much time/motivation you have, and most importantly: what will be the most fun for you. If you want to get a taste of ZBLS without full commitment, learning the VHLS subset of ZBLS (pair solved) is pretty easy.

 

[Isaac Webb]

There are a lot of factors that go into the answer to this question, for example: your goals, if you love/hate learning algs, if you have the time/motivation to drill and review algs frequently, if you're okay with the fact that you will actually become slower for a while and harm your rate of improvement overall, etc.

For most cubers, learning ZB will do more harm than good unless they are truly dedicated or doing it for fun. This is because you will improve way faster if you stick with CFOP and instead invest all of that practice/study time into inspection depth, cross/x cross efficiency, F2L efficiency, lookahead/prediction skills, turning/fingertricks, and perfecting the execution of your CFOP last layer algs. ZBLL recognition and alg recall takes a lot of practice to become fast at, and to some extent the same is true for ZBLS. You will be investing a lot of time into not only learning algs, but reviewing them with a trainer app so that you can improve your recognition speed and maintain those skills.

Personally, I am currently halfway done learning ZBLS, and also working on ZBLL after having started a month or two ago. It has already gotten me my first ever sub 30 on 4x4, but overall it has made my solving slower across all NxNs, which is to be expected. I am simply doing it for fun because I love the method and don't struggle with learning algs, but I am aware that objectively speaking it is not the best choice relative to my goals as a cuber. That said, it has been quite fun and rewarding for me personally, and I'm sure the same is true for some people out there.

ZB will likely be mandatory for world records as two-looking solves becomes more common soon, but 99% of cubers can achieve their goals without it. Ultimately, you will need to consider these things and ask yourself what it is that you want in cubing, how much time/motivation you have, and most importantly: what will be the most fun for you. If you want to get a taste of ZBLS without full commitment, learning the VHLS subset of ZBLS (pair solved) is pretty easy.

Thank you, I have decided not to learn Zb lol I averages 11-12 seconds.