Pyraminx methods

V-first and top-first: L4E, layer by layer, keyhole, 1-flip, Oka, WO and Bell.

A pyraminx has 4 tips (trivially turned last or first), 4 centres (the three-coloured axial pieces under the tips, which only rotate in place) and 6 edges. The tips do not affect the other pieces. Aligning the centres establishes the faces the edges must match.

V-first and L4E

V-first is the most-used family. Solve the centres and two edges on the bottom face (the V), then finish the remaining edges. Advanced L4E learns the complete final-edge cases; intuitive L4E reasons through short insertions. Plan the V in inspection, including which edge will be left free, and practise several colour starts rather than rotating to a favourite colour after the timer starts.

The V solved; the remaining edges are an L4E case.

R U R' U R U R'

L4E

34 cases · Solve the pyraminx's last edges after the V: 34 cases.

L3E

5 cases · The cases with the front edge solved too: only the edges round the top are left.

Layer by layer

The beginner path finishes a full layer rather than stopping at the V. Align its centres, insert its edges without disturbing the ones already placed, then use the small L3E subset above. Practise recognising a last-edge cycle from its side colours, not just the face facing you.

Top-first

Top-first builds the edges round a tip before finishing the opposite centres. This is not the same start as V-first: a top is a block around an axis, not a complete face. Strong solvers may choose between these families during inspection according to which block is easiest. Keyhole, 1-flip, Oka, WO and Bell are ways to build and preserve that top while aligning the remaining centres.

Keyhole

Build most of the top but leave an edge slot open. Use that slot as a keyhole to align the remaining centres without breaking the finished edges, then insert the missing edge. Track which centre turns are still free before committing an insertion; finishing the top too soon removes that freedom.

1-flip

Build the top with an edge deliberately reversed. Its orientation is a temporary resource: the centre-alignment sequence fixes the flipped edge as well. This is a top-first variant, not a rule to leave a flipped edge in a completed bottom layer. Do not mix a V-first last-edge algorithm with a top-first case held from another axis.

Oka

An Oka edge is correctly oriented but placed in the wrong slot. Together with the open slot it permits centre alignment before the top is finished. Follow the misplaced edge explicitly: treating it as a solved edge loses the final keyhole insertion.

WO and Bell

WO (Wedel–Odder) completes the top and uses a centre-solving sequence that preserves it. Bell starts with an edge and a bar, aligns centres through the remaining space, then completes the top with a sledge, hedge or edge cycle. They trade how much is planned before turning against the final case recognition.

Finishing top-first

Keep the completed top fixed while finishing the other centres and edges. Centre orientation is part of the case, not an optional cosmetic adjustment. The published sources surveyed here do not provide a structured top-first case list with independent diagrams; the method pages therefore teach the approach rather than mislabel V-first algorithms as top-first ones.

Practice

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Separate inspection practice from timed solves: decide the start and predict its final edge case before executing it.
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Learn the L3E cases first, then add L4E groups as recognition becomes reliable.
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Check tips before stopping; practise turning them during comfortable regrips rather than adding a long final pause.

Pyraminx methods: the whole walkthrough