Megaminx
Twelve faces and it looks beefy but honestly if you can solve a 3x3 you can solve it pretty easy.
- WCA event
- Megaminx
- Positions
- 1 × 10⁶⁸
- Moving pieces
- 20 corners, 30 edges
- Method
- Layer by layer, like CFOP
Overview
A Megaminx is a dodecahedron with 12 five-sided faces. Each face has a fixed center, 5 edges and 5 corners. Despite the size, it works a lot like a 3x3: pieces move the same way, and most 3x3 F2L tricks carry over.
The usual method is layer by layer: a star on the bottom face, the first layer, the rest of the first two layers around it (F2L), the faces around the middle (S2L), and finally the last layer.
Solves can be long!
Notation
For solving, notation works like a 3x3: R, U, F and so on turn a face a fifth of a turn clockwise. R2 turns it two fifths.
WCA scrambles use a different notation that turns big chunks of the puzzle at once: R++ and D++ turn two fifths of almost the whole puzzle, and U turns the top face a fifth.
Layer by layer
Solve the Megaminx outwards from the bottom face, using 3x3 skills for almost everything. Only the last layer is different and needs new algorithms.
1. Star
Pick a bottom color, usually white, and place its five edges around the center so their side colors match the neighboring centers, like a 3x3 cross with one extra piece.
2. First layer corners
Insert the five bottom corners, just like 3x3 corners. Put a corner above its spot and repeat R U R' U' until it works.
3. Second layer
Fill in the five edges between the first layer corners. Pairing each edge with the corner above it, the same as 3x3 F2L, saves a lot of moves.
4. The middle (S2L)
Work around the puzzle filling in each of the five faces that border the bottom half. Do them one face at a time, finishing each face's pieces before moving on.
Tip: Turn the puzzle so the face you're working on is always in front, since there is so many pieces you can get lost if you move it weird.
5. Last layer
Only the top face is left. It's done in four steps, just like a beginner 3x3. Orient the edges (make a star), orient the corners, then permute the edges and corners. Each step has a few algorithms.
2-look last layer
Do the last layer in two steps instead of four, like 2-look OLL and PLL on the 3x3. This is the biggest single speedup after you can solve it.
Steps
Learn the edge and corner orientation cases together first, then the permutation cases. Many Megaminx algorithms are close relatives of 3x3 ones.
Look ahead
At high levels, Megaminx is all about never stopping. Fast solvers turn slower than you'd expect but are always looking ahead to the next thing they're gonna do.
Practice
Do slow solves where you never stop turning, it's much better than trying to just turn everything as fast as you can.
Tips
- ★Pick a fixed color order for S2L and always solve in that order.
- ★Use 3x3 F2L techniques: pair corners and edges before inserting them.
- ★A good Megaminx has lots of corner cutting. A new cube can be a pain, much easier on a worked in one.
Resources
Ready to time yourself? The timer has Megaminx scrambles built in.
Open the timer