Orienting Last Layer Corners: Getting Yellow on Top

The Goal of Corner Orientation

With the yellow cross complete, you now have four yellow edge stickers facing up on the top face, plus the yellow center. The four corner pieces, however, still have their yellow stickers facing various directions — some may face up, some face the side, and some face the front. Your goal in this step is to twist each corner so that all four yellow stickers face upward, completing a solid yellow top face.

It's important to understand that you're only changing the orientation (twist) of the corners, not their positions. A corner that's in the correct slot but twisted wrong will be fixed in this step. Corners that are in incorrect positions will be moved to their correct slots in the next step (corner permutation).

The Sune Algorithm

The primary algorithm for orienting last-layer corners is the Sune (pronounced "soo-nay"):

R U R' U R U2 R'

This 7-move algorithm twists specific corners on the last layer. Depending on the starting configuration, you may need to apply Sune one, two, or three times to orient all four corners. Between applications, you may need to rotate the top layer (U turns) to set up the next application.

Recognizing Corner States

Look at the top layer corners and count how many have yellow facing up:

• 0 yellow corners facing up: Look for a corner where yellow faces the left side. Hold the cube so this corner is at the front-left position, then apply Sune. Repeat until all corners are oriented.
• 1 yellow corner facing up: Hold the cube so the solved corner (yellow facing up) is at the front-left position. Apply Sune and check the result. You may need to apply it again.
• 2 yellow corners facing up: This is the most common case. Hold the cube so the two unoriented corners are on the front side. Apply Sune once or twice depending on the specific arrangement.
• 4 yellow corners facing up: You're done! Skip to the next step.

The Beginner's Approach: R U R' U' Repetition

If the Sune algorithm feels complex, there's an even simpler (though slower) approach that many beginners prefer. This method uses the basic trigger R U R' U' applied repeatedly to each corner:

1. Hold the cube with the yellow face on top.
2. Look at the front-right corner. If yellow is not facing up, repeat R U R' U' (2, 4, or 6 times) until the yellow sticker of that specific corner faces up.
3. Without rotating the whole cube, turn only the U layer (U turn) to bring the next unoriented corner to the front-right position.
4. Repeat the R U R' U' cycle for this corner.
5. Continue until all four corners have yellow facing up.

Critical warning: During this process, the first two layers will appear scrambled and broken. This is normal! Do not panic. As long as you never rotate the entire cube and only turn the U layer to bring corners to the front-right position, the first two layers will magically restore themselves once all four corners are oriented.

Why Does the Cube Look Broken?

The R U R' U' repetition method works by cycling pieces through the first two layers temporarily. Each application moves pieces around, but after a complete orientation cycle (when you've oriented all four corners), every displaced piece returns to its original position. This is a beautiful consequence of the cube's group-theoretic structure — certain sequences of moves form closed cycles that return to the identity after a specific number of repetitions.

Practice Recommendations

Practice this step in isolation by solving the first two layers and yellow cross, then focusing solely on corner orientation. Time yourself and aim to complete this step in under 8 seconds using Sune, or under 15 seconds using the R U R' U' repetition method. Once consistent, you'll have the confidence to tackle the final two steps: corner permutation and edge permutation.