# Scollier's Progress Thread | Determined to Learn 3BLD!



## Scollier (Feb 9, 2021)

Since most people have a thread for their progress, youtube vidoes, etc., I though I might make one.

Here, I may post:

My cubing progress (3x3, 2x2, etc.)
My method ideas and creations
And my all-knowing sagacious insights on cubing jk
I may or may not update this thread regularly.
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Just to start, here is some of my progress.

PB: 20.15 (So close to sub 20!!!)
Goal: Sub-20 PB within next 14 days.

Average (according to ao100): ~28
Goal: Not sure yet, probably finish learning full PLL and work on F2L.

And here is my beginner 2x2 method if anyone wants to know.



Spoiler: My Beginner 2x2 Method



Here is my beginner way of solving the 2x2. I taught it to my younger brother, and he can solve it in about 30-40 seconds or so. It requires eight moves consisting of two algorithms: (R U R' U') and (L’ U’ L U) which I call the right hand algorithm and the left hand algorithm. Here is how the method works.

*1. Solve the first layer.*

I usually teach this method starting with white, as it is what most solvers start on and is pretty easy to recognize. You first find any white piece. You hold that on the bottom. Then, you find another white corner than can go next to your bottom white corner. Hold the other white corner over the slot, and do the right hand algorithm until the white piece faces the bottom and creates a solved bar. Do this with the other two white pieces until you have a fully solved white layer. This is pretty easy to learn and I am not the first to invent it.

*2. Align the top corners.*

How this step works is you first find two yellow corners that are aligned. For example, a corner that is aligned would be a yellow corner that is between the blue and red "centers" (in this case to find the color of the center use the colors on the sides of the first white layers). The corner does not necessarily need to be solved (that is yellow facing up in the correct orientation) but rather can be in any twisted corner state (so three possible permutations). You may need to do U moves to find two yellow corners are in place next to their "centers." You will either have 2 or all 4 corners aligned. If you have all 4 corners aligned, this step is completed, but if you only have two corners aligned, you must align the next two. You may either have two opposite corners correct and two other opposite corners that need to swap, or you may have two adjacent corners correct, and two adjacent corners that need to swap. For more advanced solvers, you could easily solve the adjacent swap with the Y perm and the opposite swap with the T perm, but to keep this beginner friendly, this is what you do.

For opposite corners: hold the two correct corners in a bar on the left, and the corners that need to swap in a bar on the right. Then execute this algorithm 3(R U R' U') y 3(L' U' L U). (So do the right hand algorithm 3 times, rotate, and do the left hand algorithm 3 times on that same bar.) This aligns all the corners.

For adjacent corners: this is very similar to swapping opposite corners but includes one more step. First, just do the swapping algorithm from anywhere 3(R U R' U') y 3(L' U' L U). Then, after executing this, you will find that you have two opposite corners that need to be aligned. You know what to do from here, just follow the same procedure for aligning opposite corners.

*Permutate Yellow Corners (Solve the Cube):*

To finally solve the cube you rotate upside down so that white is on top (x2). Hold an unsolved yellow corner on your right (by unsolved I mean a corner that is not permutated correctly, e.g. without yellow facing the top/bottom. Do the right hand algorithm (R U R' U') as many times as it takes until the yellow corner goes into the bottom. This will mess up the rest of the cube, but do not worry, it will solve in the end. Then, do a D move (DO NOT ROTATE THE CUBE) to bring another unsolved yellow corner to the right. Do the right hand algorithm again until you solve the corner. Do this will all of your corners until your yellow face is solved. If you have completed this step correctly, your 2x2 cube should be solved. Do an AUF if necessary.



Thanks for reading, and happy cubing!


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## rubik2005 (Feb 9, 2021)

What if you post an ao5 weekly or ao12 biweekly and we give tou some tips?

anyway, hope you the best in your cubing journey!


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## Scollier (Feb 9, 2021)

rubik2005 said:


> What if you post an ao5 weekly or ao12 biweekly and we give tou some tips?




Sure, I probably will do that.
And also, I can't really cube on weekdays, so I will probably post an average on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.



rubik2005 said:


> anyway, hope you the best in your cubing journey!



Thanks!


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## qwr (Feb 15, 2021)

Rotationless? The normal alg is rotationless?


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## Humble Cuber (Feb 15, 2021)

qwr said:


> Rotationless? The normal alg is rotationless?


Not nessesarily, most commonly used A perms have an X rotation at the beginning


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## Scollier (Feb 15, 2021)

Humble Cuber said:


> Not nessesarily, most commonly used A perms have an X rotation at the beginning





> Rotationless? The normal alg is rotationless?



Yes, the normal one I use is x L2 D2 L' U' L D2 L' U L'


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## qwr (Feb 15, 2021)

Humble Cuber said:


> Not nessesarily, most commonly used A perms have an X rotation at the beginning


It's not a real rotation, only a regrip at the start. The "proper" alg is R' F R' B2 R F' R' B2 R2 and the execution which you will quickly figure out is more like l' U R' D2 R U' R' D2 (l R).


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## BenChristman1 (Feb 15, 2021)

If you execute the standard one as l’ D R’ U2... (with headlights in back) it technically doesn’t have a rotation.


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## qwr (Feb 15, 2021)

BenChristman1 said:


> If you execute the standard one as l’ D R’ U2... (with headlights in back) it technically doesn’t have a rotation.


Yeah the rotation is misleading. It's not even the thing where people may put a rotation like y to show the case is recognized differently. Beginners should just get the proper alg R' F R' B2 R F' R' B2 R2 and they can figure out a nicer execution that's kinda like l' within a few minutes of doing it. Or watch a fingertricks video like you should do for all popular algs.


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## Scollier (Feb 15, 2021)

So, over the course of a week or longer, I probably am going to create an 8 part youtube video series on how to solve the Rubik's 3x3 Cube. In my opinion, I think it is the most beginner friendly, because you only need to memorize 2 algorithms in order to solve the cube. So when it's released, I'd love to hear what you think of it


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## Scollier (Mar 3, 2021)

Not much is happening here, I don't have much time for cubing really anymore right now, but I did create this cubing playlist. It's titled "Midnight Cubing," and it's my style of music. Classical, peaceful and has some powerful middles of the pieces. Just started working on it today, so I probably will add more music later on. I attached the link if you would like to listen to it: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6...i=01UNMLIVTMW0sPClInIK1g&utm_source=copy-link


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## ProStar (Mar 3, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Not much is happening here, I don't have much time for cubing really anymore right now, but I did create this cubing playlist. It's titled "Midnight Cubing," and it's my style of music. Classical, peaceful and has some powerful middles of the pieces. Just started working on it today, so I probably will add more music later on. I attached the link if you would like to listen to it: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6...i=01UNMLIVTMW0sPClInIK1g&utm_source=copy-link



Interesting. I usually prefer upbeat music to get my kinda hyped up. Often some rap or if it's late some Imagine Dragons (some of their calmer song s)


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## SH03L4C3 (Mar 3, 2021)

ProStar said:


> Interesting. I usually prefer upbeat music to get my kinda hyped up. Often some rap or if it's late some Imagine Dragons (some of their calmer song s)


I have something that I made over the summer for cubing. I made this wit hthe help of TnL's video and other smaller youcubers
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xePIcHyTSqv7TNtvaUKYf?si=98f6adbf8d4b49ac


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## ProStar (Mar 3, 2021)

SH03L4C3 said:


> I have something that I made over the summer for cubing. I made this wit hthe help of TnL's video and other smaller youcubers
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You realize it previews the cover of the playlist, right?

Also I bet you that all those songs were added to the playlist today, not over the summer. Also it says there's only 4 songs.


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## SH03L4C3 (Mar 3, 2021)

ProStar said:


> You realize it previews the cover of the playlist, right?
> 
> Also I bet you that all those songs were added to the playlist today, not over the summer. Also it says there's only 4 songs.huh?


huh?
no it doesnt


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## ProStar (Mar 3, 2021)

SH03L4C3 said:


> huh?
> no it doesnt



You realize that the quote shows the old version, which has the preview, right?


You're gonna have to get better at rick-rolling if you want to get me. (does that even count as a rickroll though? It doesn't automatically play and it's not the video, so I don't think it counts. Either way, I didn't click)


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## Nmile7300 (Mar 4, 2021)

On the topic of cubing music and such: On the extremely rare occasion that I practice cubing, I don’t usually listen to music. Instead I put on a twitch stream (could be cubing or something else) and use it as background noise. I prefer this to listening to music, and it’s also more realistic prep for competitions (Unless you plan to have live music at your comp lol)


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## Scollier (Mar 7, 2021)

New video out! This time it is my first review. Hope your enjoy!!


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## Scollier (Mar 7, 2021)

Just created a short!


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## Humble Cuber (Mar 7, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Just created a short!


Won't be considered a short because its not in vertical format...


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## DNF_Cuber (Mar 7, 2021)

Humble Cuber said:


> Won't be considered a short because its not in vertical format...


that rule always confused me. I was tempted to upload a several hour short.


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## Humble Cuber (Mar 7, 2021)

DNF_Cuber said:


> that rule always confused me. I was tempted to upload a several hour short.


Well, shorts is a feature only on mobile devices YT, and most people use them in vertical format, thus the videos in shorts are vertical format.


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## Scollier (Mar 8, 2021)

Currently, I really want to finish learning full PLL. I started a while ago, and learned a ton, but then I could only cube on weekends and my learning came to an abrupt end. I still drilled solves, but never really learned any new algs. Now, hopefully if I have time during the weekdays, since I am on partial break for my classes, hopefully I can finish learning the G and N perms. Yesterday, it only took me a short amount of time to learn the Ga perm, so one permutation a day should get me to learning full PLL by the weekend if everything goes smoothly. Then, on the weekend, I am going to try and drill through all 21 PLLs!



Spoiler: PLLs Learnt



Aa Perm
Ab Perm
E Perm
F Perm
Ga Perm
Gb Perm
Gc Perm
Gd Perm
H Perm
Ja Perm
Jb Perm
Na Perm
Nb Perm
Ra Perm
Rb Perm
T Perm
V Perm
Y Perm
Z Perm





Spoiler: PLLs Still to Learn



*NONE I'm FINISHED *


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## Scollier (Mar 8, 2021)

Yayyyy just learned Gb perm. G perms aren't actually that bad to memorize, just doing one a day. It only takes about 10 minutes or so of drilling and practice to memorize it. Then, after drilling it many times, I get it down well.

So far I'm on track for finishing full PLL by the end of the week


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## Scollier (Mar 10, 2021)

I just learned the Gd Perm (which I think is the easiest of all the G perms to learn), then learned the Na perm which was not too bad, and then finished PLL with the Nb (which gave me quite a lot of trouble tbh). Now, after 21 algs...

*I HAVE COMPLETED FULL PLL    *

*This is amazing for me, and it's so awesome and such a big accomplishment in my cubing, probably the biggest yet. Learning one alg a day has inspired me, and I wonder how much I can improve now that I have gotten over full PLL. I will probably focus on F2L, and later learn full OLL. This is amazing and I am so happy. *


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## Scollier (Mar 12, 2021)

Enjoy!  

Algs are in description.


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## Scollier (Mar 15, 2021)

New video out!!


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## DNF_Cuber (Mar 15, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Enjoy!
> 
> Algs are in description.


is that the guhong v3 or v4?


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## Scollier (Mar 15, 2021)

DNF_Cuber said:


> is that the guhong v3 or v4?



Guhong v4


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## Scollier (Mar 19, 2021)

So, I have been working of 4x4, and I was wondering, how fast can you get before you need to switch to 323 edge pairing? 

Also, when I do my 4x4 solves, I never solve the F3E (the cross edges), I just solve all the centers, then solve all the edges. I found that constently moving the preserved cross edges around while building the centers takes forever and is really slow for me when I started. What is the advantage of the doing the F3E first, then building the L4C, then solving the rest of the edges?


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## the dnf master (Mar 19, 2021)

Scollier said:


> So, I have been working of 4x4, and I was wondering, how fast can you get before you need to switch to 323 edge pairing?
> 
> Also, when I do my 4x4 solves, I never solve the F3E (the cross edges), I just solve all the centers, then solve all the edges. I found that constently moving the preserved cross edges around while building the centers takes forever and is really slow for me when I started. What is the advantage of the doing the F3E first, then building the L4C, then solving the rest of the edges?


Personally I started doing basic 3-2-3 just as I started Yau, but I don't think that is a good thing because I barely had any experience with how edges pair up, so maybe sub 1:45 or sub 1:30 would be a good time to start 3-2-3. As for doing F3E first, it makes look ahead easier when you finish the rest of the edges, since the bottom is solved and it solves the cross which takes a lot of time in 3x3 stage, since you can't inspect without wasting time.


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## Scollier (Mar 19, 2021)

the dnf master said:


> Personally I started doing basic 3-2-3 just as I started Yau, but I don't think that is a good thing because I barely had any experience with how edges pair up, so maybe sub 1:45 or sub 1:30 would be a good time to start 3-2-3. As for doing F3E first, it makes look ahead easier when you finish the rest of the edges, since the bottom is solved and it solves the cross which takes a lot of time in 3x3 stage, since you can't inspect without wasting time.



Thanks for the tips! That's usually why I solve the all the centers first, then solve all the cross edges so there is no inspection, then move onto the rest of the edges. Also, I average about 1:30 right now, so it might be a good time to move onto 323, but since I don't have much time to cube, I'm just going to save my cubing time for enjoyment, and mainly focus on 3x3


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## Scollier (Mar 21, 2021)

New Video Out! Revealing reconstruction of my 3x3 PB Single!!


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## Scollier (Apr 2, 2021)

So, I haven't updated this thread in a while, I've been mostly grinding 3x3, and I average about 28 seconds flat. I DNFed a 3x3 ao100 which was sad, but my F2L has gotten a lot smoother, and I have gotten a couple more solves in the teens, which is great. I've been doing some 4x4 as well, just for fun, and average about 1:45. I'm probably going to work on my G and N perm recognition later for 3x3 and also learn some more advanced F2L algs if I have time.


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## Scollier (May 23, 2021)

Since profile posts are gone, I guess I'll just post a few updates here. I switched over from CS Timer to CubeDesk, and optimized my cubing setup. Here's a picture: 




I also was doing a Rubik's Connected race on the hardest level, and after losing a couple of times and re-matching, I finally beat my opponent. He got really mad at the loss and left 





And also, finals for my school are pretty much ending this week, so I hope to cube a lot more and record some more youtube videos for my channel, COLLier Cubing, as I haven't uploaded because of my busy school schedule. Anyway, that's pretty much it!


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## Scollier (Jun 10, 2021)

Our grandparent's pool just opened and I solved my first cube underwater!! It was really fun and I was glad I was able to accomplish it


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## BenChristman1 (Jun 10, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Since profile posts are gone, I guess I'll just post a few updates here. I switched over from CS Timer to CubeDesk, and optimized my cubing setup. Here's a picture:
> 
> View attachment 15804


What keyboard is that?


Scollier said:


> Our grandparent's pool just opened and I solved my first cube underwater!! It was really fun and I was glad I was able to accomplish it


Nice! I’ve been wanting to do that for a while, but I don’t know anybody who has a pool. I know a few people who live on lakes, but I figured that I probably shouldn’t bring a cube in the lake.


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## Scollier (Jun 10, 2021)

BenChristman1 said:


> What keyboard is that?



It's just an old apple keyboard that I found. I don't know the name, but what I like about it is that it has a keypad on the right so I can easily type in the times. Also, the space bar is bigger, so it's nice to have that feature as well.


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## SH03L4C3 (Jun 10, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Since profile posts are gone, I guess I'll just post a few updates here. I switched over from CS Timer to CubeDesk, and optimized my cubing setup. Here's a picture:
> 
> View attachment 15804
> 
> ...


I think someone has already mentioned this, but that desk setup is PERFECT for cubing! the cubes on the shelf, the laptop+keyboard with still enough space for a larger mat.


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## DuckubingCuber347 (Jun 10, 2021)

Cubedesk.io is much better for practicing WCA. But csTimer is still my go to choice for non-WCA


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## Scollier (Aug 26, 2021)

New video out! Sorry I hadn't posted in a while.


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## Scollier (Oct 29, 2021)

Hey everyone!!

I haven't been cubing much, but I do want to get back into cubing, and especially learn 3BLD. I've always wanted to do 3BLD, and I understand how it works, but I never remember the letter combos. I try turning the letters into words, but still, I almost always forget.

Do you have any tips?


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## Eli Apperson (Oct 29, 2021)

Scollier said:


> Hey everyone!!
> 
> I haven't been cubing much, but I do want to get back into cubing, and especially learn 3BLD. I've always wanted to do 3BLD, and I understand how it works, but I never remember the letter combos. I try turning the letters into words, but still, I almost always forget.
> 
> Do you have any tips?


I have the same problem...


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## Scollier (Jan 31, 2022)

I'm determined to learn 3BLD, no matter how long it takes. I haven't cubed in a while, so I had to review the old poachman's method again (the one that I'm using to learn). I think the reason I failed with 3BLD last time was:

1. I didn't know the letters on the 3x3 fluently enough
2. I didn't have consistent letter pairs.
3. I was doing some incorrect setup moves.

I'm really hoping to not fail this time. I hope this all goes well : )
Any tips are appriciated!

I'll document my progress here:


*Week 1 (1/31/21):*

Reviewing method, practicing solves without blindfold, trying to become as comfortable as possible with swapping pieces.
*Week 2 (1/7/21)*

Writing down 3BLD letter pairs. It's very boring and takes a while, and I'm busy with school, but I'm not giving up!


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