Edges First
From Speedsolving.com Wiki
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Edges first, or just EF, is a method where all edges of the cube are solved before the corners.
EF is not well suited for advanced speedsolving, the first step is very easy but the corners needs a unplesant number of moves to be solved after that in most cases. In FMC, when the time to look ahead is of no or little importance it is useful if many corners can be solved together with the edges, then it may be only one or possibly two corners cycles left in the end, that may be solved using insert algorithms.
Substeps (as a beginner method)
- Solve the cross
- Solve 3 E layer edges
- Orient and (then) permute the last layer edges while solving the last E layer edge. This can be done intuitively
- Rotate the cube so you have at least 2 D layer corners in the D layer and on FUR another D layer corner
- Use RUR'U' (Sexy Move) and D setup moves to solve 3 corners of the D layer. Be sure to use the unsolved corner to fix the edges that may have been affected by the sexy move (if it was not done 3 OR 6 times)
- Turn the cube over so that the 3/4 solved layer is now on top and the unsolved corner is on FUR
- Again use RUR'U' and D setup moves to solve the rest of the corners
- Parity: If the D layer is solved but not the cube you have parity. Repeat sexy move untill the cube is solved exept for 2 corners
- Hold the 2 Corners in D layer and solve them using RUR'U'
Conclusion
The method only needs the sexy move as an algorithm, but it is needed a lot of intuition and knowlegde about the cube. As a speedsolving method though, its move count is way to high.
