Backstory: I broke my leg trail running in the summer of 2016, ended up having knee surgery and was out of commission for months on end, so I decided to learn how to solve the rubiks cubes in my off time. I'm sharing how I went about solving the cubes so you it can help you, as well.
Cube Information:
QTMY Color Plastic Irregular 3x3x3 Square Mirror Speed Magic Cube Puzzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JPDXM16/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_HyHQuflpWntCh
D-FantiX Moyu Aolong V2 Speed Cube 3x3 Enhanced Edition Smooth Magic Cube Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R12NJOE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_piznG4F9zpn8B
When scrambled:
Overview
This Magic cube or windmill cube is a lot like the regular 3 x 3 Rubiks cube in that many of the algorithms that we used to solve it are the same or very similar. The general steps we use to solve the standard 3 x 3 cube are directly applied to this magic cube solve. You should be able to use this tutorial as a helpful guide to solving the standard 3x3 cube using the beginners method.
Note: I recommend that you know how to solve a standard 3 x 3 Rubiks cube and understand basic notations before attempting this rather intimidating cube. The fact that the cube rotations are on an angle and the shapes are not all square (all the edge pieces are triangular) make it a little more difficult to turn and more confusing to understand how to solve.
I consider myself still a beginner and will be using mostly the beginner methods of solving this cube. There are more efficient algorithms to use; however the ones I share in this tutorial will get the job done in less than 1 minute 30 seconds once mastered, which I can do with a standard 3 x 3 Rubik's cube.
I like to solve the white face first and use that as the top layer which means that the yellow layer is on the bottom. After the first two layers are solved by then flip the cube so that the yellow layer is on top and the white layer is on the bottom. As a result, all the algorithms I use are based on this method of cube orientation.
I will provide pictures of the standard 3 x 3 Rubiks cube steps along side the magic cube so you have some comparisons in what we are looking at. These cubes do not have the same scramble so they will look different.
Step 1 - Solve/orient 1st layer center edges
Step 2 - Solve and orient 1st layer corners
Step 3 - Solve 2nd layer
Step 4 - Form yellow cross on last layer
Step 5 - Position corners in last layer
Step 6 - Solve the yellow face
Step 7 - Fix middle pieces in final layer to solve
Step 1 - Solve/orient 1st layer center edges:
We want to solve the white cross on the top cube face. While we are doing that, we want to orient the colored/white edge pieces so that the face slopes in the same direction as the center cube.
In some cases the edge pieces and the centerpieces will be sloping in the same direction so there is no need to perform the step of orienting the edge with the center and instead just perform a standard 3 x 3 algorithm to move the white edge from the bottom to the top.
Step 2 - Solve and orient 1st layer corners:
In the step we want to finish the top layer by positioning the corner edges and orienting them correctly. The steps in which to do this are identical to the standard 3 x 3 Rubiks cube methods however the cube shapes are triangular instead of square so wrapping your head around it initially will be a little confusing given the nature of the scramble.
I'm fairly certain that one can apply advanced F2L algorithms; however I am applying the beginners method of solving the first two layers.
In this case there are 3 patterns to identify:
Case # 2.1: White face in corner position facing up our outward.
In this case you might have the corner piece correctly positioned and oriented. If this is the case then move onto the next corner.
You may have a corner piece that is in the right corner but the white is facing outward as in the examples below.
If this is the case then you will want to remove the corner piece from that location and position it in the bottom layer under the corner where it needs to be positioned. The next couple steps show you this.
Case # 2.2: White corner cube is in bottom layer and white facing outward (towards you, left, or right depending on orientation of cube.
Case # 2.3: White face facing down
A completed first layer:
Step 3 - Solve 2nd layer
In this step we have 2 cases that we need to identify when trying to match up the bottom layer edge with the colored center.
You don't have to worry about either cases when working with a standard 3 x 3 Rubiks cube. The algorithms used to solve the second layer is the same or very similar to a standard 3 x 3 Rubiks cube.
Case # 3.1: The bottom layer edge slopes away from you when you're looking at it (no edge slope)
Case # 3.2: The bottom layer edge slopes upward towards you when looking at it (note a lip or edge that projects a little outward from the center piece)
This scenario requires you to do a little more work to get the hang of it. We want to start off by turning the bottom layer to the left (D' turn) so that the red edge piece is under the green center in this case.
Step 4 - Form yellow cross on last layer
To form the yellow cross on the bottom layer is identical to how it is formed using the standard 3 x 3 Rubik's cube beginner method. There are four possible scenarios and you may have some of them to complete or all of them depending on your situation. You will see them in the order they are listed below. In the pictures below the cube is oriented in how you should hold it when completing the algorithm.
Complete the following algorithm until you get the cross:
R' U' F' U F R
Case # 4.1: Yellow dot
Case # 4.2: Yellow horizontal line
Case # 4.3: Yellow "backward L-shape"
Case # 4.4: Yellow cross/plus
Step 5 - Position corners in last layer
When I mention corners edges in this step, I'm referring to the triangle edge pieces on the magic cube, not the square edge pieces, which are equivalent to the middle edges on a standard Rubik's cube.
In this step there are two different scenarios that you need to look out for. Both scenarios require you to execute the same algorithm, but how you hold the cube may differ.
L R' U' R U L' U' R U R
Case # 5.1: Triangle edges that match F2L are opposite each other. For the standard Rubiks cube these are the corner pieces.
You may or may not have the scenario in your solve. Sometimes you will see Case # 5.2 immediately. In this case just skip.
Below we have corner edges that are directly across from each other, not adjacent. It does not matter how you hold the cube when solving using this algorithm. Upon completing the step you should now have 2 adjacent corners matching their F2L's.
Case #5.2: Triangle edges that match F2L are adjacent to each other. For the standard Rubiks cube these are the corner pieces.
When holding the cube to apply the algorithm make sure the adjacent corners are on the left side in your hand.
After you apply the algorithm do a U turn on the upper layer so the triangle edges will be in the correct place. Note that the triangle edges may not be oriented correctly, but that will be fixed in the next step.
Step 6 - Solve the yellow face
In this step we are solving the yellow face only. We don't care at this point about whether the middle center edges/triangle edge pieces are positioned correctly with their respective face.
I have provided the algorithm I use to solve the yellow face when I get any of the following patterns below. These are the most common that I see when solving using all the steps beforehand. You should orient the cube in your hand how I have them pictured below.
Repeat the algorithm until this step is solved.
You may get one of the other patterns upon completing the algorithm, but it should take no more than 2 or 3 tries before solving this step. Typically patterns A, B, and C will yield pattern D, which then after performing the algorithm below will complete this step.
Primary algorithm:
R' U' R U' R' U2' R (U2 to orient the middle/triangle edges)
Inverse algorithm:
L U L' U L U2 L' (U2 to orient the middle/triangle edges)
Primary or inverted will work equally the same in most of these scenarios.
Step 7 - Fix middle pieces in final layer to solve
We're almost done! Hang in there!
In this final step we will need to perform an algorithm which will rotate the center edges (square corner edge piece for magic cube) to match their F2L and adjacent last layer edge. We have a couple of scenarios in which will face sometimes.
The algorithm I supplied below will rotate the incorrectly positioned middle edges CCW, as well as, leaving the solved face on the backside of the cube, as well as, the solved corner edges/triangle pieces untouched. If you need the middle/triangle edges to rotate clockwise you will need to invert the algorithms.
Magic Cube algorithm only:
F2 U L R' F2 L' R U F2 (twice)
Note: after the first time you perform this algorithm the centerpiece will become rotated and look crooked, but continue one more time and that will fix itself.
Standard 3 x 3 Rubik's cube algorithm:
(Note: this algorithm will not solve the Magic Cube completely because it will rotate one of the center pieces and make it crooked while the rest of the cube is solved. Only use this for the standard Rubik's cube solution)
Rotates middle edges CCW:
L2 U' L' U' L U L U L U' L
Inverted (CW rotation)
R2 U R U R' U' R' U' R' U R'
Case # 7.1: No sides solved sides (except for top and bottom)
In this case you will need to perform the algorithm one extra time. It does not matter how you hold the cube to perform this first algorithm, but the next time you perform it you will need to hold the cube as instructed.
Case # 7.2: Only one side completed (aside from top/bottom)
Make sure you have the solved face on the backside of the cube facing away from you when holding the cube before performing the algorithm. In the case of the magic cube the solved face should be on the back left facing away from you. If inverting the algorithm then the solved face should be on back right.
Perform the outer than one more time and this should solve the cube.
After the 1st time you perform the algorithm, the cube will look something like this, so make sure to do it twice.
Congratulations, you solved the cube!
