# PiKeeper's Progression Thread - Burning Out



## PiKeeper (Oct 29, 2021)

I figured I might as well start one of these since I'm about to grind seriously for a comp next month. Here's what I currently average in the events I do. 

2x2: Sub-5.5 with Ortega
3x3: Sub-20ish with ZZ
OH: Somewhere 32-38 seconds with CFOP
3BLD: Can't solve yet

My goals before the comp are to learn to plan eocross in inspection, get sub-30 OH so I make cutoff, and learn to do 3BLD. 

I plan an updating this thread regularly, but I can't make any promises. My primary focus is usually on 3x3, but I've been grinding 3BLD recently.


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## OreKehStrah (Oct 29, 2021)

PiKeeper said:


> I figured I might as well start one of these since I'm about to grind seriously for a comp next month. Here's what I currently average in the events I do.
> 
> 2x2: Sub-5.5 with Ortega
> 3x3: Sub-20ish with ZZ
> ...


Why are you not using ZZ for OH?


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## PiKeeper (Oct 29, 2021)

OreKehStrah said:


> Why are you not using ZZ for OH?


My non-RU fingertricks are so bad that eocross takes me about 10 seconds. Once I can turn better I'll switch to zz though


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## OreKehStrah (Oct 30, 2021)

PiKeeper said:


> My non-RU fingertricks are so bad that eocross takes me about 10 seconds. Once I can turn better I'll switch to zz though


I see. Good luck! For OH, you want to actually use Line and blockbuild because the extra efficiency matters for OH solving!


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## PiKeeper (Nov 7, 2021)

I haven't had much time to cube lately, but I've mainly been working on bld. I can consistently do corners and I'm working on a spreadsheet with my letter pairs. I haven't put any time into OH, but for 2H I can usually plan eo+2 edges.


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## PiKeeper (Nov 21, 2021)

I just went to my first comp yesterday! My times weren't the best, but I really enjoyed the experience and want to go to more in the future. I've had to much schoolwork to learn blind so I dropped out of the event. For OH, I almost got my second solve under 30 seconds but locked up on a y perm and missed cutoff. I average sub-20 at home on 3x3 and was hoping for a sub-20 average, but I got a DNF on a 17.5 second solve by missing the double flick M on a uperm and screwed up my eocross on the last solve giving me a counting 23.


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## PiKeeper (Nov 26, 2021)

I've been on vacation the last few days, but I've managed to grind my 2x2 to sub 5 and I've worked on getting better fringertricks/algs for all my plls. School permitting, I'm hoping to try out a couple side events for a week each to see which ones I like.


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## PiKeeper (Dec 24, 2021)

I don't think I'll be able to practice consistently anymore since I need to focus more on school. A couple updates for now:
30-32 seconds with oh despite no dedicated practice
Sub-19 with zz even though I still can't plan eocross
Sub-16 with cfop even though I haven't mained it for 9 months and back then I was barely sub-20


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## PiKeeper (Dec 26, 2021)

I bet this post will upset a lot if people. First of all, I hate Christmas so I spent most of it in my room cubing. I timed myself a lot, got my splits with zz and cfop, and did some comparisons of the stats and my feeling about each each method. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I want to switch from zz to cfop. 
It was a difficult decision since I love the zz community and like the concept of the method, but I realized that cfop will be faster unless I learn zbll (which I'm not sure I can motivate myself to do) and I really want a method which only requires a few seconds of inspection. 
Anyway, I'm going to start learning oll now that I've made the decision to switch back. Also, turns out I am actually sub-17 with zz.


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## cuberswoop (Dec 26, 2021)

PiKeeper said:


> I bet this post will upset a lot if people. First of all, I hate Christmas so I spent most of it in my room cubing. I timed myself a lot, got my splits with zz and cfop, and did some comparisons of the stats and my feeling about each each method. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I want to switch from zz to cfop.
> It was a difficult decision since I love the zz community and like the concept of the method, but I realized that cfop will be faster unless I learn zbll (which I'm not sure I can motivate myself to do) and I really want a method which only requires a few seconds of inspection.
> Anyway, I'm going to start learning oll now that I've made the decision to switch back. Also, turns out I am actually sub-17 with zz.


It's alright man. Everyone here is nice enough to not beat you up through the internet. I disagree with 90% of the things here, but who am I to say anything?


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## IsThatA4x4 (Dec 26, 2021)

PiKeeper said:


> I bet this post will upset a lot if people. First of all, I hate Christmas so I spent most of it in my room cubing. I timed myself a lot, got my splits with zz and cfop, and did some comparisons of the stats and my feeling about each each method. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I want to switch from zz to cfop.
> It was a difficult decision since I love the zz community and like the concept of the method, but I realized that cfop will be faster unless I learn zbll (which I'm not sure I can motivate myself to do) and I really want a method which only requires a few seconds of inspection.
> Anyway, I'm going to start learning oll now that I've made the decision to switch back. Also, turns out I am actually sub-17 with zz.


Don't worry about upsetting anyone. It's your choice, not what other people chose


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## PiKeeper (Jan 1, 2022)

I just got the most unexpected pb of my life. I decided to do a few solves on my Gan I Carry and went from a pb of 12.24 to 9.34. It was an insanely lucky solve and haven't fully processed that I now have a sub-10 PB. 
Scramble: U2 D B' U L D F' R' U2 R' F' U' R2 D R2 B2 D2 L2 U2 L2 F2 D'
L' D2 L U B2 D' F D // inefficient cross
U' L U L' y' U' L' U L // first pair
U' R' U R y U2 R U R' // second pair
U L' U' L // third pair
y U R U'R' // fourth pair
F R U R' U' F' // easy oll
U' // pll skip
9.34s/39 turns/4.17 tps


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## PiKeeper (Mar 21, 2022)

I finally have free time, so I figured I'll revive this thread and start seriously practicing now. Here's my current main events, averages, and goals:
3x3: Around 15 seconds, want to learn full oll and be consistently sub-15
2x2: Sub-5, want to learn cll and push for sub-4
4x4: Sub-2 minutes, want to learn Yau and get sub-1:30
OH: Around 30 seconds, want to learn oh pll and be consistently sub-30
Squan: Sub-50, want to learn all co, eo, and cp algs and get faster


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## PiKeeper (Apr 6, 2022)

I've been solving off and on for the last few weeks and here's a progress update:
3x3: Consistently about 14.5 and getting much faster singles
2x2: Sub-4.5, learned h and pi clls and hoping to have it all down by the end of this week
4x4: Sub-1:20 with Yau
OH: About 28 seconds but still need to learn oh pll and get better at turning
Squan: Sub-40 but still need to learn eo and cp


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## abunickabhi (Apr 6, 2022)

PiKeeper said:


> I've been solving off and on for the last few weeks and here's a progress update:
> 3x3: Consistently about 14.5 and getting much faster singles
> 2x2: Sub-4.5, learned h and pi clls and hoping to have it all down by the end of this week
> 4x4: Sub-1:20 with Yau
> ...


Good progress.

Keep at it!


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## PiKeeper (Apr 8, 2022)

I had a college visit yesterday, but today I managed to get my 3x3 to almost sub-14, my OH to around 26, and my squan to almost sub-35. I learned s/as cll too, and I'm hoping to knock out tul cll tomorrow. Finally, I might switch to roux for OH since I'm only 2 seconds slower despite much less practice and I want an excuse to practice both cfop and roux.


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## PiKeeper (Apr 9, 2022)

37/42 CLLs down, just need 5 more U CLLs


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## PiKeeper (Apr 10, 2022)

I finally finished learning full cll! Now I'll spend a bunch of time today today and tomorrow drilling the algs and using them in solves.


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## PiKeeper (Apr 18, 2022)

Quick update: 
2x2: about 5 seconds with cll
3x3: low 14 seconds
4x4: sub-1:15
Squan: 33 seconds, still learning co+eo algs


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## PiKeeper (Apr 25, 2022)

I'm sub-1:10 on 4x4 now and have learned full squan eo and most of co. I'm also considering starting streaming soon, so look out for that in the near future.


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## PiKeeper (Apr 27, 2022)

I just had the best session of 3x3 in my life. I did about 200 solves last week and couldn't really move my average out of the 14.1-14.3 second range, but today I managed to get my Ao50 down to 13.38 and my Ao100 down to 13.79.


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## PiKeeper (Apr 29, 2022)

I've got a comp in two weeks, so I figured I'll set some goals:
3x3: Sub-15 average, sub-13 single
2x2: Sub-5 average, sub-4 single
4x4: Sub-1 average
Squan: Sub-30 average
OH: Sub-26 average, sub-24 single
Megaminx: I just started this event, so I don't know how fast I'll get


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## PiKeeper (Apr 30, 2022)

I'll be streaming on twitch in 1.5 hours doing some squan and Roux OH. My twitch is in my signature if you want to check it out!


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## PiKeeper (May 7, 2022)

New stackmat pb! 9.47 seconds
Scramble: U' R2 U R2 U' R2 U2 B D' B' D F D2 B' L' F L R'
x2 D' R F D' L B2 // xcross
U2 L U L' U2 L U L' // pair
U' R' U R y L' U' L // pair
R U' R' // pair
U R U2 R D R' U2 R D' R2 // COLL
M2 U M' U2 M U M2 U // PLL

42 moves/9.47 seconds = 4.435 tps


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## PiKeeper (May 11, 2022)

I've basically just been grinding megaminx for the past three days and I've gone from around 2:40 to sub-2:05. I'm going to keep grinding in hopes of making the 1:45 cutoff at my comp on Saturday.


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## PiKeeper (May 12, 2022)

Today I just worked on ls+ll. I got a 21 second Ao50 which should be enough for a 1:45 solve, but I'll try grinding a little more tonight to get that even lower. Tomorrow I'm going to try just working on F2L, and the next two days will be back to full solves.


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## PiKeeper (May 15, 2022)

The competition ended up going great! I made all of my goals, and did better than I thought I would. 
3x3 first round went fine, I got a mid 14 average and a 12.09 single, and that got me into second round! I wasn't expecting that because the cutoff at my last comp for second round was 12 seconds. Second round of 3x3 I got a 13.48 average which is quite good even at home. 
2x2 was okay, I got three 3s but did the wrong cll on the other two and got a counting 7 for a 3.07 single and 4.86 average. 
4x4 went well and I got a 58.5 average and a 52.98 single.
OH was great and I got two sub 20s including a 18.70 single, and I got a 24.23 average
I had barely practiced squan and wasn't consistent at getting sub-30, but I managed to pull off a 27.54 average and a 24.75 single
Lastly, I have been grinding megaminx for the past week and managed to get from an average of 2:30 to just over 1:45 before the comp. I wasn't sure about making cutoff, but I clutched a 1:40.94 single on the second solve to make cutoff and finished with a 1:45.66 average.


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## PiKeeper (May 17, 2022)

Just got my first 3bld success! 6:23.25. It really wasn't that hard to learn, and I'm hoping to get more into bld events in the future


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## PiKeeper (May 19, 2022)

I've started doing clock in my free time along with 3BLD. I'm sub-20 on clock and about 6 minutes in 3BLD with mostly DNFs. I don't have a lot of free time for the next few days, so I'll probably just keep grinding clock.


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## PiKeeper (May 19, 2022)

I'm bored at school, so here are my goals for the next few months:
1. Learn aufs for cll and get sub-4
2. Practice roux for 2h and get equal to my cfop times
3. Learn oh roux turning and get sub-20
4. Get sub-10 on clock
5. Maybe get around 2:30 for 3BLD


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## PiKeeper (May 21, 2022)

I'm sub-15 on clock right now and I'll probably switch from practicing clock and 3BLD to practicing clock and 2H/OH Roux


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## Garf (May 21, 2022)

PiKeeper said:


> I'm sub-15 on clock right now and I'll probably switch from practicing clock and 3BLD to practicing clock and 2H/OH Roux


Naw, mate. Just because something seems more appealing to you doesn't mean you stop practicing other things. And just because something is low on your list doesn't mean you shouldn't stop trying. Like your 3-bld. That must've felt real special when you got your first success.
You even said it yourself:


> I'm hoping to get more into bld events in the future


I recommend staying with 3-bld and clock, and not move away from 3-bld to 2H/OH roux or whatever. Make it part of your practice.


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## Eli Apperson (May 21, 2022)

TheEpicCuber said:


> Naw, mate. Just because something seems more appealing to you doesn't mean you stop practicing other things. And just because something is low on your list doesn't mean you shouldn't stop trying. Like your 3-bld. That must've felt real special when you got your first success.
> You even said it yourself:
> 
> I recommend staying with 3-bld and clock, and not move away from 3-bld to 2H/OH roux or whatever. Make it part of your practice.


If he wants to work on roux, that's fine. Let people make their own decisions on what they want to practice.


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## PiKeeper (May 21, 2022)

TheEpicCuber said:


> I recommend staying with 3-bld and clock, and not move away from 3-bld to 2H/OH roux or whatever. Make it part of your practice.


I'm not quitting 3BLD, just focusing less on it. I care more about 2H and OH than 3BLD, so I'm switching focus to them for the moment.


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## Garf (May 22, 2022)

PiKeeper said:


> I'm not quitting 3BLD, just focusing less on it. I care more about 2H and OH than 3BLD, so I'm switching focus to them for the moment.


Sorry about the rant. But I don't like how, and I am guilty, people say they do one thing, but switch to a different topic that is more appealing. It's better to work on stuff that is harder and less fun, then do the stuff that is more fun. Ex. Homework, then video games for an hour or so.


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## PiKeeper (May 23, 2022)

Due to a variety of factors, I won't be posting here for the majority of the next three months and I'll be cutting back on cubing practice. Before I go for a while, here's my goals, averages, and practice plans for each event:
3x3: Sub-14 with cfop, want to switch to roux and get similar times. I'll be practicing this a lot
2x2: Sub-4.2 with cll, want to learn aufs and be consistently sub-4. I'll practice this a moderate amount
4x4: Sub-59 with yau, just want to keep grinding and get sub-55. I'll also practice this a moderate amount
5x5: Sub-2:40, not really going to practice
OH: Sub-24 with cfop, want to switch to roux and get equal or better times. I'll practice this a lot
3BLD: 10% success rate and get 5-7 minutes, not really going to practice
Megaminx: Sub-1:50, want to get sub-1:30 if I practice but I'm not sure how much time I'll invest
Pyraminx: Sub-13, not going to practice
Squan: Sub-27, maybe get sub-20 if I practice but might not have time
Clock: Sub-14, maybe go for sub-10 but I'll be practicing very little


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## Timona (May 23, 2022)

PiKeeper said:


> Due to a variety of factors, I won't be posting here for the majority of the next three months and I'll be cutting back on cubing practice. Before I go for a while, here's my goals, averages, and practice plans for each event:
> 3x3: Sub-14 with cfop, want to switch to roux and get similar times. I'll be practicing this a lot
> 2x2: Sub-4.2 with cll, want to learn aufs and be consistently sub-4. I'll practice this a moderate amount
> 4x4: Sub-59 with yau, just want to keep grinding and get sub-55. I'll also practice this a moderate amount
> ...


Good luck. Do you still stream?


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## PiKeeper (May 23, 2022)

Timona said:


> Good luck. Do you still stream?


I wanted to, but life caught up with me and I couldn't anymore


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## PiKeeper (Jun 3, 2022)

Quick update on my progress:
Consistently sub-4 with cll and I know the aufs for all clls except s/as
Sub-56.5 on 4x4
Sub-27 with OH roux
Sub 15.5 with 2H roux

I'm also going to try to become color neutral with roux over the next two months


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## Imsoosm (Jun 4, 2022)

PiKeeper said:


> Quick update on my progress:
> Consistently sub-4 with cll and I know the aufs for all clls except s/as
> Sub-56.5 on 4x4
> Sub-27 with OH roux
> ...


Do you have tips on how to predict AUF for CLLs? Do I just memorize a corner and see what cases it would end up as solved?


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## PiKeeper (Jun 4, 2022)

Imsoosm said:


> Do you have tips on how to predict AUF for CLLs? Do I just memorize a corner and see what cases it would end up as solved?


Usually I recognize cll by some sort of bar, so I learn where the bar goes after the alg. For other cases, I usually pick the ufr corner and see where it goes.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 11, 2022)

Just had a crazy 4x4 session with the highlights being my first sub-40 single, sub-53 ao12, and sub-55 ao50.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 11, 2022)

After procrastinating for ages, I finally sat down and learned the aufs for every cll. Also, I now average 25 seconds with OH Roux.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 12, 2022)

Also, turns out I'm cracked at 4x4 now and have already become sub-55.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 12, 2022)

I'm splitting my practice time between timed 4x4 and 2x2 solves and slow, untimed color neutral roux solves. I'm still about 10 seconds slower with color neutral, but my FB efficiency is much better. My main problem is SB since I only filter for the corner I need, and then I look at the other colors on the corner to find what edge I need.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 13, 2022)

You didn't hear it from me, but there might be a stream tomorrow. If it does happen, it will probably be at 1pm EST, but I'm making no promises.


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## PiKeeper (Jun 14, 2022)

Live on twitch streaming slow roux solves


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## PiKeeper (Jul 24, 2022)

I've been on vacation for a while, but I finally have access to the internet now. I'm going to be doing a roux cn ao100 every day for about a week, and at the end I'll decide whether I want to keep being cn or switch back to x2y.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 25, 2022)

Day One Recap:
Single: 13.04
Ao5: 17.54
Ao12: 18.91
Ao50: 19.84
Ao100: 20.08

I still suck at color neutral and will probably drop it if this keeps up. I had a few good singles though, which is promising.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 25, 2022)

Day Two Recap:
Single: 14.56
Ao5: 17.88
Ao12: 19.11
Ao50: 20.18
Ao100: 20.49

Getting very demotivated here...


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## Timona (Jul 25, 2022)

What do you average regularly, without color neutrality?


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## PiKeeper (Jul 25, 2022)

Timona said:


> What do you average regularly, without color neutrality?


A little under 14 with cfop and a little over 15 with roux


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## PiKeeper (Jul 26, 2022)

Day 2.5 Recap:
Single: 13.25
Ao5: 15.60
Ao12: 17.52
Ao50: 18.52
Ao100: 19.09

I did another ao100 since I was bored and got much better results.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 26, 2022)

Day 3 Recap:
Single: 13.66
Ao5: 15.81
Ao12: 17.17
Ao50: 17.83
Ao100: 18.51

Finally starting to see some real progress. The solves definitely feel faster, and I'm not having huge pauses as often.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 27, 2022)

Day 4 Recap:
Single: 12.59
Ao5: 15.81
Ao12: 16.88
Ao50: 17.94
Ao100: 18.22

My times are still steadily decreasing. I did have a set of really slow solves right in the middle which hurt the Ao50 and Ao100 times, so I can definitely improve on this tomorrow.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 28, 2022)

Day 5 Recap:
Single: 12.39
Ao5: 15.86
Ao12: 16.72
Ao50: 17.59
Ao100: 18.16

Still making good progress, but I still got a series of really bad solves which ruined the average. However, I do have a rolling 17.78 ao100 from the last half of last session and the first half of this session.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 30, 2022)

Day 6 Recap:
Single: 12.31
Ao5: 15.09
Ao12: 15.89
Ao50: 16.63
Ao100: 17.64

I was on a plane yesterday and couldn't time solves, but I absolutely popped off today. It started off a bit slow, but I proceeded to break all of my cn roux pbs. Biggest highlights are a full second drop on my ao50 and a cn ao12 that is just about what my x2y global is.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 31, 2022)

Day 7 Recap:
Single: 12.47
Ao5: 14.46
Ao12: 15.97
Ao50: 17.23
Ao100: 17.63

Pretty average solving session, but got a pb ao5. I'll post one more update today with a few more solves and my thoughts after this challenge.


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## PiKeeper (Jul 31, 2022)

Week of Color Neutral Recap:
Single: 11.77
Mo3: 13.04
Ao5: 14.40
Ao12: 15.80
Ao50: 16.63
Ao100: 16.95

I've gone from almost giving up on color neutral at the start of the week, to deciding to stick with it for the foreseeable future. Next month I'll be focusing on one handed, and I'll stay color neutral while doing that. I would now consider myself sub-17 with color neutral roux, only 1.5 seconds slower than my x2y average.


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## PiKeeper (Aug 3, 2022)

Single: 17.66
Mo3: 22.71
Ao5: 23.50
Ao12: 24.76
Ao50: 27.12

I did about 50 color neutral OH solves to get an idea of what I average. My biggest weakness right now is definitely LSE since I am really bad at the fingertricks and keeping my grip on the cube.


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## PiKeeper (Aug 9, 2022)

I got covid and wasn't motivated to do OH, so I've been trying to improve my L10P. I got a 6.66 CN L10P Ao50 yesterday, and today I learned DFDB recognition, one dots skip case, and 3/1 and 4/0 EOLR. My goal is to learn full EOLR and a couple easy LSE tricks to get sub-6 color neutral so I can then focus on blocks until I'm sub-12.


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## PiKeeper (Aug 10, 2022)

Learned 2o/2 EOLR today and kept drilling arrow and 4/0.


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## PiKeeper (Sep 5, 2022)

I haven't seriously improved at 3x3 in a while, so I'm going to try to change that with some dedicated practice that I can work at when I don't have school or soccer. I want to get sub-12 with color neutral roux, so my goal is to specifically work on each step of the solve until it can be optimized to sub-12 level. Here's my plan:
LSE: Learn full EOLR, keep practicing DFDB recognition, learn to predict non M2 inserts, average 3.5 seconds
CMLL: Learn better recognition, average 2 seconds
FB: Use FB trainer to get decent FB efficiency, plan FB in inspection, average 2 seconds
SB: Lots of lookahead and tracking pieces, average 3.5 seconds


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## PiKeeper (Sep 6, 2022)

I now know full arrow, 4/0, 2o/2, and 2a/2 EOLR. Tomorrow I'll keep drilling those sets (especially 2a/2) and maybe try to learn 1/1.


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