EO Guide

This guide aims to clear up what is meant by good and bad edge orientation (EO) when it comes to CFOP.

The Cross

When it comes to planning the cross, a cross piece has good EO if it can be inserted into the D layer with correct orientation in one move.

Good green edge
Bad orange edge

Flipping EO

Eo can be flipped by a half-turn of a side face the edge belongs to.

F2L

When it comes to F2L, an F2L edge piece has good EO if it its pair can be solved into its slot without a cube rotation, using just L, R, and U moves.

The trick to tell if an edge has good EO is as follows:

  • If the edge is in the top layer, its top sticker will match the front or back colour of the cube.
  • If the edge is in a front slot, its front sticker will match the front or back colour of the cube.
  • If the edge is in a back slot, its back sticker will match the front or back colour of the cube.
red-green edge with bad EO
red-green edge with good EO
red-green edge with bad EO
red-green edge with good EO

Flipping EO

If the edge is in the top layer, performing a cube rotation will flip its EO.

Edges in slots will maintain their EO through cube rotations, so they must be moved into the top layer before they can be flipped.