Rouxvolution
// guide ── first block

First Block

The goal of the first step is to intuitively build a 1×2×3 block on the left.

FB places the L center plus DL, FL, BL, DFL, DBL — the bottom-left 1×2×3. Everything above stays free on purpose: SB and LSE need the M-slice and U-layer to swing pairs through.

// what you're learning

The First Block (FB) is a 1×2×3 on the left of the cube: the L center, the DL/FL/BL edges, and the DLF/DLB corners. It has no algorithm — you stare at the scramble and build it. That sounds vague, but the freedom is the point: FB is where Roux pays for itself, because every move you save here is a move the next three steps never have to fix. Get FB cheap and the rest of the solve inherits it untouched.

What’s solved, what isn’t

x2 / y color neutrality

Roux rewards being neutral on two axes. CN-x2 means any of the four non-U/D colors can sit on D. CN-y means, once D is chosen, you don’t care which of the two remaining colors goes on L versus R. Four D-choices times two y-rotations gives eight candidate first blocks per scramble, and you pick the cheapest. That is the standard intermediate target; full CN (24 candidates) exists but trades inspection time for move count and is rarely worth it before you’re already fast.

The mechanism is simple: every scramble hides one or two easy 1×2×3s somewhere, and being x2y-neutral means you can actually reach them instead of forcing the same color onto D every time. The examples below deliberately start from different orientations to make that habit concrete.

Worked examples

The four examples cover the common shapes FB takes. Pick the one the scramble offers, not the one you’re most comfortable with — FB efficiency comes from matching the approach to the case.

1. DL edge first, then build pairs onto it

Scramble D2 F2 L2 R B L2 D2 B' Solution TODO — solution moves

The training-wheels route, and still the right call when nothing smarter is on offer. Solve the L center and DL edge first (a 1×1×2 along the bottom-left), then build each corner-edge pair separately and attach. Reliable, easy to plan, never the shortest.

Use it when no two FB pieces are sitting near each other and you can’t see a square forming inside inspection.

TODO commentary:

  1. Locate DL and the L center; note that “L center solved” is at most two moves away from any state.
  2. Place DL against the L center to form the 1×1×2.
  3. Build the DLF pair in R/U/r without disturbing DL.
  4. Build the DLB pair the same way and insert.

2. Square first (1×2×2), then attach the last pair

Scramble U' R' D L' R D' R F' Solution TODO — solution moves

The default intermediate approach and the most common shape in practice. Build a 1×2×2 square (L center + DL + one of the two corner-edge pairs), then insert the remaining pair into the empty slot. The finished square is a stable anchor — once it’s down, the last pair has only one place to go.

The recognition cue: scan for any L-center-adjacent pair (DLF+FL or DLB+BL) that’s already joined, or one move from joined. If you see one, the square is usually 3–4 moves away.

TODO commentary:

  1. Identify which corner-edge pair pairs cheapest with DL + L center.
  2. Form the square; verify the remaining pair is still reachable.
  3. Insert the last pair without breaking the square — the slot is forced, so the only decision is the setup.

3. Line first (two 1×1×3 lines, then merge)

Scramble U2 L R2 F B' L R' D Solution TODO — solution moves

Build the FB as two 1×1×3 lines: the E-line (FL + L center + BL, sitting on the E slice) and the D-line (DLF + DL + DLB, sitting on the D face). E-line first, D-line second, then merge with a single D or u move. Slightly less common than square+pair but often shorter when the E-slice edges are already near their slots.

The recognition cue: both FL and BL are oriented and one or two moves from the L center. If that’s true, line+line is probably cheaper than forcing a square.

TODO commentary:

  1. Locate FL, BL, and the L center; check they can join cheaply on the E slice without disturbing the D-face pieces.
  2. Build the E-line.
  3. Build the D-line on the bottom.
  4. Merge with the closing D / u move.

4. Misoriented centers — build with the wrong center on D

Scramble B2 L2 U2 L R2 D L' R' Solution TODO — solution moves

An advanced trick worth seeing early: you can build FB (and SB) around the wrong centers, then fix the centers with a single u M' u' or u' M' u before CMLL. The payoff is that a premade pair in the scramble doesn’t have to match the “official” D color — if it fits the block geometrically, use it.

This isn’t the same as CN-x2/y. CN picks the best of eight legal orientations. Misoriented centers lets you ignore center color entirely during blockbuilding, paying for it with a 3-move correction later. Use it when you spot a free pair and don’t want to break it just to make the colors line up.

TODO commentary:

  1. Identify the premade pair and ignore its color.
  2. Build the block around it as if the centers were already correct.
  3. Note the center-correction move for after SB.

Where to next

Once FB is down, you’re in Second Block territory: build the right 1×2×3 on top of it without disturbing the left. The catalog and drill pages for SB are the next stop.

←  All guides