The YuXin 2x2 Basket is a sphere-shaped 2x2 cube that imitates a basketball, with its coloured surface and the characteristic black lines running across it. It belongs to YuXin’s sports ball series, alongside the football, volleyball and baseball versions, and measures around 64 mm in diameter.

• BrandYuXin
• TypeSpherical 2x2
• DiameterAround 64 mm
• WeightAround 68 g
• MagnetsNo

How it works

Inside it’s a 2x2: two layers per axis and eight pieces, all corners. The difference is on the outside. Instead of six plain-coloured faces, the ball’s pattern is spread across the pieces, and when you scramble it the black lines end up jumbled. Solving it means rebuilding the ball, paying attention to how the lines continue from one piece to the next. Puzzles of this kind, which change the shape or look of a familiar cube, are known as shape mods.

Design

The pattern is printed directly onto the plastic, with no stickers. Its round shape means that, when solved, it looks like a real ball and also works as a decorative object. With no flat faces, turning is less precise than on a normal cube, and it isn’t valid for official competition, which requires one plain colour per face.

What level is it for?

Anyone who already solves a 2x2 can apply the same methods, with the added challenge of recognising the pieces by their pattern. As with all 2x2s, it’s best not to force a corner to twist on itself, as a piece can break.