# To anyone who has switched methods, what is your story?



## Mr.Roux86 (Mar 3, 2018)

To anyone who has switched methods, what is your story?

For me personally, I used CFOP for about 2yrs total. I got my average down to a low 20. I _*HATE *_learning algs. Especially in large numbers. Learning PLL was not on my 'to-do' list. I did know that learning full PLL was basically necessary for sub 20. Then I watched J-perm's Roux video. Then I got inspired to try Roux. After about 2 days I gave up. I stuck with CFOP for about a month longer but couldn't stand not reaching sub 20. Eventually, I decided to try and give Roux a month or two. At first block building sucked, but now I can't even make F2L pairs in CFOP solves without trying to break cross edges. I got my average down to sub 20 in about 4-5 months. Now I average around 17. I do not regret switching to Roux. Even if you are very good with CFOP, I highly suggest trying a block building method for a little bit. It will help your solves.

Anyway, what is your guy's story?


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## CarterK (Mar 3, 2018)

Mr.Roux86 said:


> To anyone who has switched methods, what is your story?
> 
> For me personally, I used CFOP for about 2yrs total. I got my average down to a low 20. I _*HATE *_learning algs. Especially in large numbers. Learning PLL was not on my 'to-do' list. I did know that learning full PLL was basically necessary for sub 20. Then I watched J-perm's Roux video. Then I got inspired to try Roux. After about 2 days I gave up. I stuck with CFOP for about a month longer but couldn't stand not reaching sub 20. Eventually, I decided to try and give Roux a month or two. At first block building sucked, but now I can't even make F2L pairs in CFOP solves without trying to break cross edges. I got my average down to sub 20 in about 4-5 months. Now I average around 17. I do not regret switching to Roux. Even if you are very good with CFOP, I highly suggest trying a block building method for a little bit. It will help your solves.
> 
> Anyway, what is your guy's story?


I'm just curious, if you didn't want to learn algs, then how did you learn CMLL?


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## CLL Smooth (Mar 3, 2018)

CarterK said:


> I'm just curious, if you didn't want to learn algs, then how did you learn CMLL?


Where did you read that he learned CMLL? Just curious


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## CarterK (Mar 3, 2018)

CLL Smooth said:


> Where did you read that he learned CMLL? Just curious


Well, I guess I just assumed that he did. I guess it isn't that necessary (but I think that learning full CMLL helps the same amount as full PLL, which is not that much to begin with.


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## CLL Smooth (Mar 3, 2018)

CarterK said:


> Well, I guess I just assumed that he did. I guess it isn't that necessary (but I think that learning full CMLL helps the same amount as full PLL, which is not that much to begin with.


Although it’s much less to learn than full OLL and PLL. On topic, I never “switched” methods but I still practice roux sometimes. I feel like I would enjoy it much more if I would just dedicate practice to it.


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## WombatWarrior17 (Mar 3, 2018)

A few months after I learned CFOP I was averaging about 35-40 seconds, and I decided to try out some other methods.
I learned Roux and used it for about 2 weeks, I hated block-building and doing a lot of M slices so I went back to CFOP, a few days after that I started learning ZZ. I got the hang of EO pretty easily, and the F2L, while it was still block-building, it was a lot easier to get the hang of, after using ZZ for a month I decided to go back to CFOP. Then, a few months ago, I decided to start using ZZ again, then I went back to CFOP. I started using ZZ -yet again- last month, but switched back to CFOP because I have a comp soon, but I plan to stick with ZZ after the comp.

Oh, and I learned Petrus at one point.


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## 1001010101001 (Mar 3, 2018)

I started out with the Ideal method for 3 years. I got into speedcubing and started using CFCE from CFOP tutorials, because I didn’t want to learn algs. The I found out CFOP was 20 sec faster( averaging 1 min) and used it until I grew bored, then I switched to Roux. Currently learning ELOR and CMLLEO to get sub 20.


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## Mr.Roux86 (Mar 3, 2018)

CarterK said:


> I'm just curious, if you didn't want to learn algs, then how did you learn CMLL?


I only know about half CMLL currently


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## applezfall (Mar 3, 2018)

i have been cubing for 2 years
started with lbl then switched to cfop
When i saw that Kian Mansour(PDF) got a sub 7 avg with roux i decided to switch
now i average sub 12 with CFOP ROUX and Petrus


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## TipsterTrickster (Mar 3, 2018)

I got bored with CFOP and switched to roux because its more efficient and requires less algs.


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## Spencer131 (Mar 3, 2018)

I switched to Roux because I think it's the fastest method 


1001010101001 said:


> Currently learning ELOR and CMLLEO to get sub 20.


My advice for you is that you really don't need eolr to be sub 20, and you will probably never need cmlleo because that is way too many algs. There are more efficient ways to practice than learning massive alg sets.

Also, it's useless to learn eolr if you want to use cmlleo because eo will already be done.


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## Elo13 (Mar 7, 2018)

I learned CFOP when I got into speedcubing. I got to around 20, but then got inspired by Vincent Wong's AMA on Reddit to switch to roux. It took me a long time (4ish months) because I was quite lazy, but after making the switch I got down to around 13 seconds really quickly by my standards.


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## Zerksies (Mar 7, 2018)

I got into cubing about 11 years ago. I haven't necessarily switched methods i just learned a few newer ones


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## teboecubes (Mar 7, 2018)

I was using this method for months. I got down to around 40-60 seconds on it. But somehow, it felt like I couldn’t get faster on it. I had recently learned how to solve the Rubik’s Cube, and needed to improve my times.

So I watched many tutorials, and over many days, I finally got it. I practiced with this new method, and decreased my times to 30, then 25, then 20 seconds. And I finally made the switch...


From LBL to CFOP.


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## xyzzy (Mar 7, 2018)

I started off in 2006/2007 with an LBL-Petrus hybrid, and persisted with this for years despite everyone telling me Petrus was bad. When I got into speedcubing circa 2015, I started learning how to do F2L efficiently, picked up a bunch of short OLL algs, and switched to CFOP/FreeFOP. (My F2L isn't a rigid "cross then four pairs" most of the time, but it's not fully freestyle blockbuilding either, which makes categorisation somewhat annoying. My last layer isn't always OLL+PLL either—a quarter of the time I use ZBLL, another quarter I use COLL+EPLL, and only around half of the time I actually do OLL+PLL.)

These days, I do still use CFOP for two-handed solves, but for one-handed solves I use ZZ as well if I don't see easy blocks or an easy cross. I mean, using an additional method a third of the time isn't quite the same as _switching_ completely, but I think it's roughly in the same spirit.

(Also, I've switched 4×4×4 methods like thrice and 5×5×5 methods like ten times, although the latter number is inflated because I switched between OBLBL, Yau5 and redux multiple times.)


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## PapaSmurf (Mar 7, 2018)

I had been using CFOP for a year, I was colour neutral and doing an x-cross and I was just sub 20. I was having a lot of fun, but then I found ZBLL. It was my new goal, but I didn't want to learn ZBLS, because algs. I decided to stick with ZZ instead. I also loved the concept of <RUL> and no rotations, so I switched. Took me a couple of months to get faster than CFOP, but from there it's been great. I'm now sub-12 after 2.67 years with it and I know all of T-ZBLL and most of U, while I know Pi 2GLL. My goal is looking like it's coming true. I just need to put in the effort to reach my goal of learning them by the end of the year. I know what I'm doing after exams.


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## OrangeGEEEEESNUTZZZZ (Mar 10, 2018)

I use CFOP (I'm sub 15, nearly sub 10)with WV, Full PLL and 2 look OLL but in January 2018, I tried switching to Roux because of New Years resolution, and why not? I only learned basic Roux, but no CMLL cuz I'm too lazy. I kinda sucked at Roux, so I returned to CFOP. I might try ZZ, maybe in the near future, but for now, Fridrich method.


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## ribbon method (Aug 12, 2020)

hello I switched from cfop to zz I might change im just starting zz


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## moh_33 (Aug 12, 2020)

Mr.Roux86 said:


> To anyone who has switched methods, what is your story?
> 
> For me personally, I used CFOP for about 2yrs total. I got my average down to a low 20. I _*HATE *_learning algs. Especially in large numbers. Learning PLL was not on my 'to-do' list. I did know that learning full PLL was basically necessary for sub 20. Then I watched J-perm's Roux video. Then I got inspired to try Roux. After about 2 days I gave up. I stuck with CFOP for about a month longer but couldn't stand not reaching sub 20. Eventually, I decided to try and give Roux a month or two. At first block building sucked, but now I can't even make F2L pairs in CFOP solves without trying to break cross edges. I got my average down to sub 20 in about 4-5 months. Now I average around 17. I do not regret switching to Roux. Even if you are very good with CFOP, I highly suggest trying a block building method for a little bit. It will help your solves.
> 
> Anyway, what is your guy's story?


For me i used to use CFOP but then i switched to roux because of interest, i was having a blast! i used Roux a lot and ended up in my first 1 minute flat solve! then when i was looking for roux tutorials i stumbled upon this website which i admit was a great experience and i didn't regret accidentally clicking a link to this website from a youtuber . Then i introduced myself to this community and one of them actually suggested for me to try petrus, so i did, and it turned me into switching from roux to petrus, and i got an idea where i would try to learn as much methods as i can, and it turned out pretty well! i learned 7 methods in just 4 weeks. right now im still trying to learn as much methods as i possibly can and for now i don't even have a main method  i just solve the cube using a method that i see fit on the scramble the most.

edit: actually i think its in 3 weeks... but i learned the basic parts so ye


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## CodingCuber (Aug 12, 2020)

I switched from beginner's to CFOP. What an unusual switch, right.


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## Insert---Name (Aug 12, 2020)

I used to use CFOP and switched to Roux as well. I averaged around 16 with CFOP but thought Roux was a cool method so I decided to learn it. I thought doing M moves to finish solving the cube was really satisfying but I gave up really quickly because although LSE was satisfying, it was too hard for me. A few days later I decided to try and learn it again. This time I was starting to get good at LSE after finding some EO algorithms but still didn't feel like switching. After that I found Sean's vid where he did a sub 6 Ao5 with Roux. That really helped me make the decision to switch to Roux (and the fact I gave up learning OLL helped I guess). I started learning full CMLL after I averaged sub 20 with Roux. I ended up learning EOLR and my times dropped from around 16 seconds to 14. I still wasn't doing F2B efficiently and I decided to practice that. Right now I average 11-13 seconds and recently got a sub 10 Mo3.


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## PetrusQuber (Aug 12, 2020)

Bump but OK.
Guess what, I switched from beginner’s to Petrus too


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## Metallic Silver (Aug 12, 2020)

I started with pogobat LBL because it was easy to learn, then Samsara LBL to get introduce myself into CFOP last layer, then I wanted to get into F2L (but F2L is difficult) so I used badmephisto's Beginner CFOP method.

*[Time: Sub-1 on 3x3]*

Cross was a pain as a beginner so I decided to learn other methods to grasp more techniques and builds.
Roux was the first thing that showed up, but blockbuilding was hard as a beginner, so I needed to start myself off to Salvia method and then transition myself to beginner Roux.

LSE was a pain, so I went back to CFOP and then wanted to get advanced in last layer. OLL was kinda easy, but PLL algs were difficult for me. Some OLLs and most PLLs were a pain to learn and memorize back then, so I decided to practice and switch to CFCE. CLL was okay but ELL recognition made it much worse.

*[Time: Sub-50 on 3x3 (I was really struggling)]*

ZZ was the next thing that showed up, but I gave up learning it because I couldn't understand the tutorial about EO.
So of course, Petrus was next, and so I learned beginner petrus. The EO step tutorial was confusing, so I ignored that step and just went off to last layer normally. It was kinda slow and inefficient for me since I kept doing 2 cross edge->F2L pair->cross edge->F2L pair, etc.

Then I began learning and experiencing other methods: Columns First, Triangular Francisco, Ortega SPAM/Waterman, FreeFOP (codernunk64 version), 8355, and Pikas**t.

Then I decided to practice with CFOP; of course cross was still a pain and there weren't any good vids for me to get better at cross during this time. Then I realized something. The scramble is hard for CFOP, but easy for Roux if I made a 1x2x3 block. So I solved it with Roux but then ending up at a bad situation for second block, however, there's an easy 3/4 cross setup like FreeFOP method and decided to use that method step instead. Then back to CFOP for last slot and last layer. This is where I realized I can switch methods in every step, so I decided to make a conceptual method for myself,
"Lazy CFOP", a "method manipulation" speedsolving method. So I started creating my own cases and tricks to study when and when not to use a certain method/subset during a certain scramble case.

*[Time Sub-30 on 3x3]*

This became my main method. As time goes by, I slowly learned advanced F2L tricks, Full OLL, Full PLL, COLL algs, LSE, ZZF2L tricks, blockbuilding, and others that I don't remember. I still became impatient with EO, so I didn't learn that during this time. Lookahead was also a struggle and I also became impatient practicing it too.

After over a year, I became sub-20 with Lazy CFOP and comfortably advanced with 3x3.

*[Time Sub-20 on 3x3]*

After being Sub-20 with Lazy CFOP for a year, I finally learned EO and other cool ZZ techniques.
Afterwards, I became so advanced that I slowly lost some of my Lazy CFOP tricks due to becoming more efficient with my solves.
Cross was still a struggle and so as lookahead. As I was practicing CFOP, F2L started to become a struggle for me because I kept rotating and I feel restricted when I can't disrupt the cross edge. That's where I decided to move to Petrus.

I practiced blockbuilding and it felt much easier for me to do free moves with no restrictions. I did ended up learning advanced fingertricks and unusual pair insertions.

*[Time Sub-15 on 3x3]*

Here's where I am now (well Sub-14 now). At this point, I'm kinda satisfied enough and I'm not really too desperate in becoming sub-10.
Sorry my story was long.


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## ribbon method (Aug 12, 2020)

Metallic Silver said:


> I started with pogobat LBL because it was easy to learn, then Samsara LBL to get introduce myself into CFOP last layer, then I wanted to get into F2L (but F2L is difficult) so I used badmephisto's Beginner CFOP method.
> 
> *[Time: Sub-1 on 3x3]*
> 
> ...


Well shite im only sub 50


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## WarriorCatCuber (Aug 12, 2020)

Metallic Silver said:


> I started with pogobat LBL because it was easy to learn, then Samsara LBL to get introduce myself into CFOP last layer, then I wanted to get into F2L (but F2L is difficult) so I used badmephisto's Beginner CFOP method.
> 
> *[Time: Sub-1 on 3x3]*
> 
> ...


*FreeFOP


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## zslane (Aug 12, 2020)

I'm sticking with CFOP (after having switched to it from beginner method). Enough world titles have been won with CFOP that I feel confident the limiting factor for me isn't the method but my brain and fingers. Switching one hard-to-master method for another doesn't sound terribly productive to me. Especially since my goal has nothing whatsoever to do with becoming #1 in the world or competing for titles.


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## AlphaCuber is awesome (Aug 12, 2020)

I switched to leor for OH because I’m cool


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## ribbon method (Aug 12, 2020)

AlphaCuber is awesome said:


> I switched to leor for OH because I’m cool


That makes u less cool


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## ribbon method (Aug 12, 2020)

AlphaCuber is awesome said:


> I switched to leor for OH because I’m cool


Cause all the cool kids do it


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## Metallic Silver (Aug 12, 2020)

ribbon method said:


> That makes u less cool



Please don't say that, he can potentially be super fast at OH using LEOR. In fact, it's pretty cool for someone to use it as a main on OH.
Telling someone that uses a very underrated method is not cool is very messed up and discouraging.
That's like having people telling me that I can't make friends with other cool cubers because I use a beginner method and not an advanced speedcubing method like them.
Never say that to anyone please.


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## ribbon method (Aug 12, 2020)

Metallic Silver said:


> Please don't say that, he can potentially be super fast at OH using LEOR. In fact, it's pretty cool for someone to use it as a main on OH.
> Telling someone that uses a very underrated method is not cool is very messed up and discouraging.
> That's like having people telling me that I can't make friends with other cool cubers because I use a beginner method and not an advanced speedcubing method like them.
> Never say that to anyone please.


I meant it as a jk


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## Pika (May 5, 2021)

moh_33 said:


> For me i used to use CFOP but then i switched to roux because of interest, i was having a blast! i used Roux a lot and ended up in my first 1 minute flat solve! then when i was looking for roux tutorials i stumbled upon this website which i admit was a great experience and i didn't regret accidentally clicking a link to this website from a youtuber . Then i introduced myself to this community and one of them actually suggested for me to try petrus, so i did, and it turned me into switching from roux to petrus, and i got an idea where i would try to learn as much methods as i can, and it turned out pretty well! i learned 7 methods in just 4 weeks. right now im still trying to learn as much methods as i possibly can and for now i don't even have a main method  i just solve the cube using a method that i see fit on the scramble the most.
> 
> edit: actually i think its in 3 weeks... but i learned the basic parts so ye


so that's how it feels being method neutral


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## abunickabhi (May 5, 2021)

Pika said:


> so that's how it feels being method neutral


Method neutrality is cool though, and can be the future of the 3x3 2H event.


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## povlhp (May 5, 2021)

Started slowly early December. J.Perm beginners method.
Then I learned 4LLL and intuitive F2L
Then early February, I felt stuck at 1m40s, so decided to try Roux. Fewer algorithms to learn, more intuitive.
2-look CMLL is just the algorithms from OLL/PLL I learned from J.Perm. Tried to learn the T-cases, but do not solve enough, so I can do the algorithms, I can name the case, but still can't always pick the right algorithm based on the case. And it has grown worse. Likely means I will delay learning full CMLL until I am around 30s.

I replaced the 2 adjacent corner swap algorithm, but kept the other. Progress just continues. 53.xx Ao100. Still not as efficient at FB as I want to. I am blue/green color neutral, and has started doing more yellow solves as well to get that. Not really difficult, but still have to think. Green/yellow means green red in left front. Sometimes I run random swap algorithms on randomly oriented cube, so I do get a little practice with other top/bottom colors.

PS: Still does the occasional beginners method solve so I can help beginners, and CFOP as well.


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## tsmosher (May 7, 2021)

I've only been cubing for roughly a year.

As everyone does, I started with the beginner's method.
Discovered CFOP/F2L and began trying to hone my chops on F2L.
From here, I got lost in a sea of different block-building methods... primarily Heise and Petrus.
(At this point, Roux SB was too difficult for me to do without destroying FB, so I ditched Roux.)

I would say that for a little while, I used my own version of Petrus as my main method. I simply liked block-building at the beginning more than anything else I'd tried (cross, EO, etc...). After 223, I would do Petrus-W style EO only to (usually) mess it up during the final F2L pairs. Some version of O(C)LL/PLL to finish.

(Side note on LL methods: I went through a lot of LL methods. phasing/OCLL-EPP/PLL -- OCLL/OLLCP-A/EPLL -- 2L OLL/2L PLL -- OCLL/CPLL/LSE -- LLEF/CPLL.)

Wanting to get faster (because my son was consistently beating me at F2L), I returned to the basics with CFOP. Relearned all of the F2L cases-- learning as many intuitively as possible in order to minimize the number of algorithms cluttering my head. Practiced hard for months with CFOP, improving very little. From ~1:00, I got down to low 40s ao10 (PB of 27 sec.).

That's when I realized I never really liked CFOP. It just felt too rigid/structured/unimaginative. (This was just as I had finished learning full OLL as well.)

I now use my own version of Roux/LEOR. It is simple and suits my needs (which is not speedsolving). It allows me to be creative at the start of my solve or to take a number of guided/shepherded starts if I am speedsolving (usually against my sons). LSE to finish (specifically 4c) is my favorite way to finish. Only gripe is learning COLL which has been daunting. EOLR/BF right before LS gives me more triggers to utilize and has been teaching me how to solve all of the F2L cases <RU> (for LS). I am still VERY slow, but I'm hoping that improves with solves and practice. One thing I've quickly come to terms with is the fact that I am not fast at solving and probably never will be; having picked up the cube at a MUCH older age than most, I am just happy to solve it.

I still love to learn new methods or new ideas for existing methods. But I definitely think I've finally stumbled upon the method I will use for the foreseeable future.


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## povlhp (May 7, 2021)

Not fast either. But love roux. Still do the occasional beginners and cfop solve. 
Started learning CMLL but dropped it. Not enough solves to keep remembering it. 
If I start swapping corners around 30s, I know the time will be good. Likely under 50s. 
only PB under 40s so far. But a few 40.x seconds. 50+ y.I.


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## CFOP INC (May 7, 2021)

I breifly tried roux but I went back to cfop and it really suits me. I just finally got sub twenty average of a hundred.


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## Filipe Teixeira (May 7, 2021)

Before switching to cfop my best time was 30ish seconds. Learning cfop really helped me to drop my times, when I finished learning the last olls I was solving under 20 seconds on average. My personal bests are on my sig



Spoiler



I switched to CFOP from LBL


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## ruffleduck (May 10, 2021)

Hey, so here's my story.

When I started speedcubing back in February 2020, I learned CFOP. I was loyal to CFOP and I even got into the "OO" cult in late 2020 and started to over-optimize not only OLL/PLL but also F2L. During this period I developed a high turn speed and learned to execute difficult algorithms quite fast. I am placed #11 in the world for recorded PLL average (0.87 framecounted, sadly lost footage because i deleted my yt account).

But slowly, I realized that the whole "OO" thing was not improving my times at all and I was simply wasting my time over-optimizing my algs. I went back to using more traditional algs and started focusing more on important things like lookahead. This was during late January 2021 - early February. I got my first sub 10 ao100.

I started to lose interest in CFOP as I felt it was uncreative and repetitive.

I have played around with Roux many times during my speedcubing journey, but it never felt like the right method to me. I acknowledge that Roux is a great method and is absolutely superior to CFOP, but it just didn't work out for me. I sucked at Roux-style blockbuilding and I hated MU gen algs.

So, I picked up ZZ.

I used ZZ for a few weeks and enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed EO blockbuilding and RUL turning, and I started to pick up some ZBLL and started implementing that in my solves. I knew that this was the right method for me. 

So here I am, sub 12 with ZZ. I think if I improve my EO-cross planning and solution, and learn more ZBLL, I can easily get back to what I was averaging with CFOP and beyond!

I really think everyone should seriously consider trying out a method other than CFOP. Even if you decide not to switch, you can get a better understanding of the cube and perhaps even improve your CFOP skill.


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## Cuberstache (May 10, 2021)

I switched from CFOP to Mehta because I think Mehta has the potential to be the best 2H method out there, but most people won't believe it unless they see fast results, so my goal is to get fast results with it to prove its viability. It's been way more fun to practice Mehta than CFOP, so I'm sticking with it for the foreseeable future. I averaged about 10 with CFOP and now I'm around 14 with Mehta. After several months, I'm still quite a bit slower, but I feel like my path to improvement is clearer. Mehta has a lot of algs, so if you're ok with that and want a fun but fast new method, I highly recommend learning Mehta.


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## BenChristman1 (May 10, 2021)

CuberStache said:


> I switched from CFOP to Mehta because I think Mehta has the potential to be the best 2H method out there, but most people won't believe it unless they see fast results, so my goal is to get fast results with it to prove its viability. It's been way more fun to practice Mehta than CFOP, so I'm sticking with it for the foreseeable future. I averaged about 10 with CFOP and now I'm around 14 with Mehta. After several months, I'm still quite a bit slower, but I feel like my path to improvement is clearer. Mehta has a lot of algs, so if you're ok with that and want a fun but fast new method, I highly recommend learning Mehta.


To add on to that, and to kind of go along with what @zzoomer was saying, even if you don’t switch to Mehta, it’s still a really fun method to learn and it will help you understand many different aspects of solving the cube that you don’t get with CFOP, such as the FB and EO Belt steps, and it also shows that there’s many ways to continue after solving just part of the cube. After solving the belt, there are so many different paths that you can take, most of which are shown on the flowchart here.


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## Swagrid (May 11, 2021)

I've swapped my main method a few times but this is the story of the big one, that stuck

I've been cubing for about 4.5 years now, on and off. No consistent progress, so was slow. Around last summer I decided to swap from my main method at the time, and for the past 3.5yrs, which was CFOP, and use ZZ instead. I already knew ZZ because I had learned all big 4 methods and then some. The reason I changed was because of ZZ-CT. I always thought it was an interesting method, and I always burned out using other methods. So I tried CT, and loved it. Grinded algs hard during that summer, spent 2-5 hours a day learning TTLL algs. Learned all the TTLLs by the end of September. I haven't burned out since the swap.

When I used CFOP, I averaged 22 and my PB was 15.16. Now, I average 14 and my PB is 9.29


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## pyrapyravince (May 11, 2021)

at first, i thought i could solve cubes with roux, but i couldnt. I would solve the first 2 blocks and finished f2l, and just hoped that i got a last layer skip. Then after my cube died i got a gan air and learned with the little manual.


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## guelda (May 14, 2021)

Nice to read others cubing stories 

I started cubing at the beginning of 2020, after trying a bit the beginner's method with a well layed-out document which sadly didn't contained the algs written grouped by triggers (I mean each alg didn't use parenthesis to highlights the fact that it is easier to learn them by bits), I looked for a method with less algorithms and found Roux. I enjoyed each for the rest of the year and was 27s on average when I decided to switch to another method : Mehta.

I just wanted to try something else as I didn't progress with Roux (too lazy to work on my F2B probably), and Mehta looked clever/fun + there was a very nice and simple tutorial on YT (kudos Bamboo Cuber!). With its 3 algorithmic steps, it was kind of the opposite of Roux which is highly intuitive. But I guess I "understood" better the cube so was interested in learning algs.
So now I practice Mehta since then, still slower than with Roux (approx. 33s vs. 27s), and for some reason I think I'll never beat my Roux times with it, but I enjoy using both in solves depending on the scramble.

I'd like to learn LMCF after getting a bit better with Mehta.


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## Cubing Forever (May 19, 2021)

ok here's my story:

I started (speed)cubing exactly 362 days ago i.e on May 22 2020(I solved it for the first time on the day before but I did my first ao5 on May 22). I used to use keyhole(yes, keyhole because I figured it out by myself) with the R' D' R D last layer. A few weeks later, I learnt 4LLL and got down to sub 30 without F2L. Then, I learnt CFOP and got down to sub 20 with it. In December, I took a 25 day break from cubing only to see that I find cubing boring. Then, @Nir1213 mentioned me on the Mehta thread. That's when I got to know about it. I found it fun and switched. I struggled for the first month or two but I got down to sub 30 easily. Now I average 21-22 with Mehta and 19-20 with CFOP(well, I don't do CFOP anymore lol). I love it's heavily algorithmic approach and it's efficiency(46-53 moves vs 60 moves CFOP). My long term goal is to somehow get sub 8(preferably sub 7) with Mehta and show that it can be better than CFOP. My short term goal is to get sub 20 and beat CFOP times. If you're bored, want a change of methods and like algs, you can learn Mehta and if you're stuck, I and the good folks at the Mehta Discord are really happy to help.

E: If you know Mehta and want some competition, here's a weekly comp that I run.


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## RyanSoh (May 19, 2021)

So I started cubing last year, during the COVID lockdown (I already know how to solve the cube with the beginners method then). I learned the popular CFOP method and got faster at it. With 4LLL I got to sub 30. However, I then hit a speed bump. I knew I had to learn some more algorithms to get faster. But I did not have to motivation to learn the PLL algorithms at all. Soon I lost interest in CFOP, and switched to the Roux method. I quickly fell in love with Roux. I loved the intuitiveness of the first 2 steps, and the fact that the last step could be done 2 gen. Most importantly, Roux has less algorithms that CFOP. I found the motivation to get faster again. Currently, with 2-look CMLL, I am already sub-20.


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## WarriorCatCuber (May 19, 2021)

I started by learning the beginner's method. While I was learning it, at some point I decided it would be a good idea to straight up learn CFOP, because less steps=easier and less algorithms, riiiight? Alright, I hadn't thought very much about it, but in the end I decided I'd just start with beginner's then see about CFOP later.

When I finally started CFOP, I learnt intuitive F2L using Z3Cubing's tutorial. It was great, I mastered F2L in less then an hour. My times were around 1 minute and thirty seconds. I kept practising with that (cross, F2L, beginner LL). I might want to add here that when I first learnt to do the cross and the corners, I pretty much figured it out on my own and used a more straightforward method instead of the "daisy" method they suggested and spamming sexy moves for corners.

This is about when I found out about roux. I liked the way that you solved it in less moves with less algorithms. What's not to love? I found a beginner's document based on waffo's site and learnt it from there. I was solving very inefficiently, (my blocks were basically CFOP F2L with some extra M-slice edge hiding, my CMLL was 2-looked with outdated algorithms from 2013. I guess my LSE was ok though) but I managed to get down to an average of about 35 seconds. This is also around the time that I joined the forum.

Then I found out about waterman. I "switched" to it, but basically all I was doing was only solving with roux and procrastinating about learning its algorithms. I had to make a decision: either I learnt the algs, sticked to roux, or switched to another method. To make a decision, I counted moves in my own example solves with roux, waterman, cfop and zz (which I had also learnt, just for fun). ZZ had the lowest movecount, so I decided to stick to that.

(There were also some other barely mentionable times where I switched to some other methods like petrus for one or two days, but this post would never end if I talked about those)

My progress with ZZ was tremendous. I got sub-30 in only a couple of weeks of using it, and sub-20 came very soon as well. After practising for about half a year I was sub-15 at some point. These days, since I practise a lot less, I only average about 16-17, but I'm happy, it's still pretty fast. I'm currently working with @BlobinatiCentral on developping waterman, I don't main the method but I find it very interesting and underrated nonetheless.


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## ImmolatedMarmoset (May 19, 2021)

I got down to 27 seconds in about 4 months after starting, and then I switched from CFOP to Roux. Now, 2 years later, I’m about 14 seconds and do not regret it one bit.


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## LukasCubes (May 19, 2021)

My method history

Layer By layer - CFOP Roux - CFOP - Waterman - CFOP - Petrus - CFOP - ZB

I use ZB now


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## LBr (May 20, 2021)

My method history

Beginner - full pll (except g perms lol) - 2 look oll - f2l - full oll - coll - some wv

average 14


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## BenChristman1 (May 20, 2021)

LBr said:


> My method history
> 
> Beginner - full pll (except g perms lol) - 2 look oll - f2l - full oll - coll - some wv
> 
> average 14


Those aren’t different methods, they are just extensions of CFOP.


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## LBr (May 21, 2021)

true, but because i haven't made any big shifts, it made sense to be specific


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## Dan the Beginner (Jun 27, 2021)

I cut my ao12 by 12.4 seconds after switching from absolute beginner LBL to DBM, another beginner LBL method. My PB is 1:18. With a lucky scramble.


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## Cubing Forever (Jun 27, 2021)

Cubing Forever said:


> ok here's my story:
> 
> I started (speed)cubing exactly 362 days ago i.e on May 22 2020(I solved it for the first time on the day before but I did my first ao5 on May 22). I used to use keyhole(yes, keyhole because I figured it out by myself) with the R' D' R D last layer. A few weeks later, I learnt 4LLL and got down to sub 30 without F2L. Then, I learnt CFOP and got down to sub 20 with it. In December, I took a 25 day break from cubing only to see that I find cubing boring. Then, @Nir1213 mentioned me on the Mehta thread. That's when I got to know about it. I found it fun and switched. I struggled for the first month or two but I got down to sub 30 easily. Now I average 21-22 with Mehta and 19-20 with CFOP(well, I don't do CFOP anymore lol). I love it's heavily algorithmic approach and it's efficiency(46-53 moves vs 60 moves CFOP). My long term goal is to somehow get sub 8(preferably sub 7) with Mehta and show that it can be better than CFOP. My short term goal is to get sub 20 and beat CFOP times. If you're bored, want a change of methods and like algs, you can learn Mehta and if you're stuck, I and the good folks at the Mehta Discord are really happy to help.
> 
> E: If you know Mehta and want some competition, here's a weekly comp that I run.


UPDATE: I average 17 now lol


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## the dnf master (Jun 27, 2021)

Cubing Forever said:


> UPDATE: I average 17 now lol


lol ur updating someone else's thread. maybe change it to ur progression??


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## Cubing Forever (Jun 27, 2021)

the dnf master said:


> lol ur updating someone else's thread. maybe change it to ur progression??


I was updating my post lol.


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## porkyp10 (Jun 27, 2021)

I switched from CFOP to ZZ 3-4 months ago. Before that I was a devout CFOP user that was slowly improving. Unfortunately, my wave of improvement stopped once I reached sub-15. When I finally learned full OLL and PLL, I ran out of things I wanted to learn.

Then I thought of learning full COLL (yuck) and started doing that, but thought that it would be hard to learn because I'd have to always get a cross case. then I remembered that ZZ always ended up with a cross case for last layer, so I initially learned it just to learn COLL.

At first I hated ZZ. EO was just absurdly hard (for beginner me) and EOLine F2L was painful. But I practiced it anyway. After a couple days of practicing ZZ, PapaSmurf invited me to the ZMS Discord. That server taught me about the existence of EOCross, and the other variants of ZZ (and why I don't have to learn them).

I then realized that ZZ was much more interesting than CFOP, and how much I hated CFOP F2L, so I practiced it even more. I had doubts on if I should main it, since CFOP was still the faster method for me. But when I averaged sub-20 on ZZ, I just decided to choose it as my main method anyway. I just accepted that I wouldn't beat my overall PBs for a long time (or so I thought).

My improvement on ZZ was faster than I thought. I thought I would average sub-15 on ZZ within a year, but it turned out to be 2 months. Now, I average sub-14 with ZZ, and both my PB single and Ao5 are ZZ solves.


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## abunickabhi (Jun 27, 2021)

tsmosher said:


> I've only been cubing for roughly a year.
> 
> As everyone does, I started with the beginner's method.
> Discovered CFOP/F2L and began trying to hone my chops on F2L.
> ...


Your solutions in the 3x3 example thread are really good. I try them out and learn new ideas from the solution.
Also your pace for writing solutions is fast.


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## abunickabhi (Jun 27, 2021)

porkyp10 said:


> I switched from CFOP to ZZ 3-4 months ago. Before that I was a devout CFOP user that was slowly improving. Unfortunately, my wave of improvement stopped once I reached sub-15. When I finally learned full OLL and PLL, I ran out of things I wanted to learn.
> 
> Then I thought of learning full COLL (yuck) and started doing that, but thought that it would be hard to learn because I'd have to always get a cross case. then I remembered that ZZ always ended up with a cross case for last layer, so I initially learned it just to learn COLL.
> 
> ...


Good to know that you have liked the ZZ method.
There are not that many ZZ solvers out there.

How active is the ZMS server?
Good luck improving in ZZ, U M U' R' F R U M' U' L' U' L !


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## moh_33 (Jun 27, 2021)

Dante Newbie said:


> I cut my ao12 by 12.4 seconds after switching from absolute beginner LBL to DBM, another beginner LBL method. My PB is 1:18. With a lucky scramble.


Cheeky little DBM promotion eh


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## LBr (Jun 27, 2021)

Cubing Forever said:


> UPDATE: I average 17 now lol


wow thats fast improvement. Personally I'm averaging low to mid 13, and am considering having someone faster critique my solves


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## kubesolver (Jun 27, 2021)

I started with Petrus as beginner method finishing f2l on the left.
2x2x2, 2x2x3, eo, f2l -1, f2l, cp, Co, epll
After some time I changed my last layer steps and learned full pll
2x2x2, 2x2x3, eo, f2l -1, f2l,Co, pll
Then I moved edge orientation to ll phase
2x2x2, 2x2x3, f2l -1, f2l, 2step oll, pll
Then I ditched block building
2x2x2, finish cross on the left, then cfop
Then I moved my cross the bottom
Then I started doing cross before first block completing full transition from Petrus to cfop.


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## Cubing Forever (Jun 27, 2021)

LBr said:


> wow thats fast improvement. Personally I'm averaging low to mid 13, and am considering having someone faster critique my solves


Haha yes. I got there just by grinding solves lol.


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## tsmosher (Jul 11, 2021)

abunickabhi said:


> Your solutions in the 3x3 example thread are really good. I try them out and learn new ideas from the solution.
> Also your pace for writing solutions is fast.



Thanks man.

i have a lot of respect for what you do. never tried bld and not sure i could do it. ill have to try it some time.

i tried bld 2x2 once and it hurt my head. i can't even imagine adding edges onto that


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