Step 5; F3L


Completing the first three layers involves moving pieces from the U layer into each of the four slots.

During this step, I do not perform any rotations on the cube, and always have the same colour (orange) as the front face. This allows me to instantly know where each edge I see has to be placed, as well as saving time from doing rotations. Recognition and lookahead are easy to acquire to the point where there should be literally no gaps of time looking for pieces.

Due to the easy lookahead/recognition in this step, some brain processing time is left over. This can come in useful for solving the corners, as you can see what the corners case will be before you even get upto it. You can even modify this case during the F3L while solving other pieces if you like, I'll provide algorithms that manipulate the corners and ones that don't in each case below. Working out which algorithms do what is fairly obvious. (Double outer turns usually mean corner manipulation.) However, corner manipulation algorithms are faster to execute; so you may want to use these for every case and disregard the corners until the next step. As with the 1x3x4, the technique to use depends on the situation.

Aswell as the shortcuts listed below, cancellations are often possible between the end of one F3L algorithm and the start of the next. If you can see what edge you're taking out of a slot before the end of the algorithm, you can decide if the next algorithm cancels with the first.

I will not list algorithms for inserting/manipulating paired edges. They're F2L/LBL algorithms, and if you don't know them you can use normal F3L algorithms with double inner layer turns.

Despite the fact that I'm listing algorithms, this step should be mostly intuitive (after learning one or two you should be able to do them all). The algorithms are there in case you wish to use alternatives that may be faster for you.

FR Slot;
FUr to FRu;

U2 l' URU' l UR'
U2 Lw' URU' Lw UR'
r' U'RU r U'R'		 FUl to FRu;

URU' l' UR'U' l
URU' Lw' UR'U' Lw
URU r' U'R'U r
FUr to FRd;

URU' r UR'U' r'
URU l U'R'U l'
R2 UR'U' r URU' Rw'R'		 FUl to FRd;

U2 r URU' r' UR'
l U'RU l' U'R'
RU'RUR'U'rURU'Rw'UR'
BR Slot;
FUr to BRu;

UR'U l U'RU l'
UR'U Lw U'RU Lw'
UR'U' r URU' r'		 FUl to BRu;

Lw U'R'U Lw' U'R
(lr'R')Ul'U'RUlU'M'
B l' B'RB l B'R'
FUr to BRd;

r' U'R'U r U'R
Rw'UrU'RUr'U'r
R'Rw' U'RU r U'R'U R2		 FUl to BRd;

UR'U r' U'RU r
UR'U' l' URU' l
U2 LwU'R'U r' U'RUR' x
FL Slot;
FUr to FLu;

U'L'U r U'LU r'
U'L'U Rw U'LU Rw'
U'L'U' l ULU' l'		 FUl to FLu;

U2 r U'L'U r' U'L
l UL'U' l' UL
U2FRw'F'LFRwF'L'
FUr to FLd;

U2 l' U'L'U l U'L
r' UL'U' r UL
Rw' UL'U' r ULU' R		 FUl to FLd;

U'L'U l' U'LU l
U'L'U' r' ULU' r
L2 U'LU l' U'L'U LwL
BL Slot;
FUr to BLu;

r' ULU' r UL'
Rw' ULU' Rw UL'
B' r BL'B' r' BL		 FUl to BLu;

U'LU l' U'L'U l
U'LU' Rw' UL'U' Rw
U'LU' r' UL'U' r
FUr to BLd;

U'LU r U'L'U r'
U'LU' l UL'U' l'
U2L2 UL'U' l ULU' Lw'L'		 FUl to BLd;

l ULU' l' UL'
U2 r U'LU r' U'L'
LwU'l'UL'U'lUl'
Shortcuts

Inserting unpaired edge groups into the E layer; These can be applied to every slot.

BUr to FRd, FUl to FRu;

r URU' l'r' UR'U' l		 BUl to FRu, FUr to FRd;

l' URU' lr UR'U' r'

Swapping pieces within the E layer; You may have to rotate to perform these in different slots.

FRu and FLu;

L'RU' l' UR'U' l2 ULU' l'		 FRu and FLd;

d'LRU'lUL'U'l2UR'U'ld
FRu and BLu;

ULU'r'U'RUrU'R'Ur'UL'U'r		 FRu and BLd;

LRU'lUL'U'l2UR'U'l