Which opening tap keeps Colony Flow Level 36 clean?

Start with the cyan 20 stack at the left of source row 1, then the grey 18 in the middle of source row 1, and then the green 17 at the right of source row 1 (which will have risen into the active row by then). This closes the cyan background, the grey accent column, and the small green cluster together before any red heart body, yellow inner highlight, or black outline color is allowed onto the dirt path. Tap the red 17, yellow 16, cyan 14, red 15, black 18, or cyan 20 source stacks only after the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart.

What goes wrong if I send the red 17 stack too soon in Colony Flow Level 36?

The red 17 stack in source row 2 uses the same dirt path as the cyan 20 stack in source row 1, and the large red/pink heart body only sits in cells that are still open while the cyan background is closing. If red ants are sent before the cyan background is at least half-closed, they stall on the still-empty heart body cells, the late red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10, red 2, red 4, red 2, red 1 refill waves waiting in the active queue cannot reach the rest of the heart body, and the small cyan 8, cyan 10, yellow 8, and black 3 refill waves that have to rise into the five empty buffer slots get stranded behind active cyan and red ants on the dirt path. Tap red 17 only after the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart.

Colony Flow! level guide

Colony Flow! Level 36 Walkthrough

medium 6 colors

Colony Flow Level 36 is a compact heart board where the cyan background and red heart body share one trail with a black outline, a small green corner cluster, and tiny yellow inner highlights, so the opener has to reserve room for the late detail colors.

Board Notes

Layout: The board opens in portrait view. The top half of the screen holds a pixel-art heart figure: a large red/pink heart body with a slight gloss on its upper-left lobe, a thick black outline wrapping the heart silhouette, a full cyan/teal background tile filling the rest of the art frame, a small green cluster of 2-3 cells sitting on the lower-left side of the heart, a vertical column of 4-5 grey cells running down the left edge of the art as a darker background accent, and 2-3 yellow cells inside the heart acting as a small inner highlight. Below the dirt strip the working area is a 5-cell top active row plus a 3-row, 3-column source grid. The 5-cell top active row opens as five empty white buffer slots. Source row 1 reads cyan 20, grey 18, green 17. Source row 2 reads red 17, yellow 16, cyan 14. Source row 3 reads red 15, black 18, cyan 20.
Goal: Cyan cubes from the cyan 20 in source row 1, the cyan 14 in source row 2, and the cyan 20 in source row 3 plus the late cyan refills (cyan 8, cyan 10, cyan 18, cyan 15, cyan 1) must fill the cyan/teal background tile that frames the whole art. Red cubes from the red 17 in source row 2, the red 15 in source row 3, and the late red refills (red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10, red 2, red 4, red 2, red 1) must fill the large red/pink heart body. Black cubes from the black 18 in source row 3 and the late black refills (black 14, black 6, black 3, black 9, black 7, black 1) must trace the thick black outline wrapping the heart silhouette. Green cubes from the green 17 in source row 1 and the late green refills (green 15, green 1, green 6, green 7) must close the small green cluster on the lower-left of the heart. Yellow cubes from the yellow 16 in source row 2 and the late yellow refills (yellow 8, yellow 2) must close the 2-3 yellow cells inside the heart. Grey cubes from the grey 18 in source row 1 must fill the vertical grey accent column running down the left edge of the art.
Opening: The video opens on the cyan 20 stack at the left of source row 1. Cyan ants leave the ant hole immediately and start walking the dirt path up to the cyan background of the pixel art, and the cyan cells closest to the ant hole start closing in the first beat. The second confirmed tap is the grey 18 stack in the middle of source row 1, which sends grey ants up the same dirt path and starts closing the vertical grey accent column running down the left edge of the art. The third confirmed tap is the green 17 stack at the right of source row 1 (now rising into the active row), which sends green ants up the same dirt path to start closing the small green cluster on the lower-left of the heart. The five empty white buffer slots in the active row are kept open so the rising refills (small cyan 8, cyan 10, yellow 8, black 3, black 14, black 6, green 6 refills) can land cleanly as the active row drains. The red 17, yellow 16, cyan 14, red 15, black 18, and cyan 20 in the source rows are all held for one beat so the cyan, grey, and green waves can clear the perimeter of the art before any heart body, yellow inner highlight, or outline color is sent.
Danger Zone: This board usually breaks at the five empty white buffer slots in the 5-cell top active row. The video shows those slots being filled with rising refills in quick succession (small cyan 8, cyan 10, yellow 8, black 3, black 14, black 6, green 6, then the late red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10 waves), and if the player taps those rising refills before the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart, cyan and yellow refill ants get stranded behind active cyan and green ants on the dirt path and the cyan background plus the green cluster never close. The other trap is firing the red 17 in source row 2 while cyan ants are still walking the dirt path up to the cyan background, because red ants use the same dirt path as the cyan ants and a premature red click strands red ants on the still-empty heart body cells and blocks the late red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8 refill waves that need to reach the rest of the heart body. Tapping the black 18 in source row 3 before the cyan background is at least half-closed is also bad, because black ants cross the heart body cells that the red stacks still have to fill and stall on the still-empty outline cells at the edge of the art. Letting the yellow 16 in source row 2 rise into the active row before the green cluster is at least half-closed strands yellow ants on the still-empty inner highlight cells and blocks the late yellow 8 and yellow 2 refills that need to reach the 2-3 yellow cells inside the heart.
Mechanics: Level 36 is a multi-stack color-routing board combined with a pixel-art completion goal and a single ant hole, with a heart-on-cyan-background scene. The 5-cell active row plus the 3-row, 3-column source grid makes this a compact 9-stack working area with five empty white buffer slots, so almost every tap immediately changes a route. The heart pixel art has six main color families (cyan background, red heart body, black outline, green cluster, yellow inner highlight, grey accent column) plus the late refill waves, and the player has to keep all of those routes staged at once. The 5-cell active row is the queue that is empty at the start, and the 3-row, 3-column source grid underneath it acts as the supply that refills the active row as stacks are sent. The five empty white buffer slots are the only staging cells on the board, so the last small cyan 1 and black 1 refill waves still need a clean delivery after the bottom of the grid looks clear. Compared to Level 35's tall 4-row garlic-bulb board, this heart scene is more compact, has a much smaller body region relative to the background, and has a red-on-cyan body-and-background contrast that forces the player to keep the empty buffer slots open for the many red refill waves that have to climb the dirt path in the final beat.

Quick Tips for Colony Flow! Level 36 (spoiler-free)

Tap the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 in that order from source row 1 before you touch any other color. The cyan background, the grey accent column, and the small green cluster are the three highest features of the heart, and they have to close together before any red heart body, yellow inner highlight, or black outline color is allowed onto the dirt path.
Keep the five empty white buffer slots in the top active row open for the rising cyan, yellow, black, and red refills. The video shows those slots being filled with refills in quick succession, and filling them with a red 17, yellow 16, or black 18 click strands the refill waves and leaves the red heart body and the black outline half-empty even when the source grid looks clear.
Save the red 17, red 15, black 18, and yellow 16 source-row stacks for the mid-to-late game. They are the heart body, outline, and inner highlight colors, and the win cue is the full heart image, not an empty play area, so the many late red refills (red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10, red 2, red 4, red 2, red 1) plus the black 14, black 6, black 3, black 9, black 7, black 1 refills still need a clean delivery after the bottom of the grid looks clear.

How to Solve Colony Flow! Level 36 — Full Solution

Tap the cyan 20 stack at the left of source row 1. Cyan ants walk the dirt path up to the cyan background of the heart pixel art, and the cyan cells closest to the ant hole start closing in the first beat. Wait for the first cyan ants to clear the bottom edge of the art before tapping the next stack. Keep the five empty white buffer slots in the top active row untouched so the late cyan, yellow, black, and red refills can land there.
Tap the grey 18 stack in the middle of source row 1. Grey ants walk the same dirt path and start filling the vertical grey accent column running down the left edge of the art. Cyan and grey share the path, so leave one beat between them so the cyan background is mostly closed before the grey column starts filling.
Tap the green 17 stack at the right of source row 1 (now rising into the active row). Green ants walk the dirt path and start closing the small green cluster on the lower-left of the heart. Cyan, grey, and green share the path, so leave one beat between the green wave and the next cyan or grey refill.
Wait for the cyan, grey, and green ant waves to clear the dirt path between the ant hole and the bottom edge of the heart. Do not tap the red 17, yellow 16, cyan 14, red 15, black 18, or cyan 20 source stacks yet, and do not let the small cyan 8, cyan 10, yellow 8, or black 3 refill rise into the active row during this beat.
Tap the red 17 stack in the left of source row 2 (now rising into the active row), then the red 15 stack in the left of source row 3 as it rises, then wait for the red refill waves (red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10, red 2, red 4, red 2, red 1) to rise into the five empty buffer slots and tap them in order. Red ants walk the dirt path and start filling the large red/pink heart body. Red is the largest single color in the art, so expect many red refills to climb the dirt path over multiple beats.
Tap the yellow 16 stack in the middle of source row 2 (now rising into the active row), then wait for the yellow 8 and yellow 2 refills to rise into the buffer slots and tap them. Yellow ants walk the dirt path and start closing the 2-3 yellow cells inside the heart. Yellow and red share the path, so leave one beat between the yellow wave and the next red refill.
Tap the black 18 stack in the middle of source row 3 (now rising into the active row), then the cyan 20 stack in the right of source row 3, then wait for the black refills (black 14, black 6, black 3, black 9, black 7, black 1) and the cyan refills (cyan 8, cyan 10, cyan 18, cyan 15, cyan 1) to rise into the buffer slots and tap them in order. Black ants walk the dirt path and start drawing the thick black outline wrapping the heart silhouette, and cyan ants close the last cyan background cells.
Finish by tapping the final cyan 1 and black 1 cleanup refills in the last beat. Cyan ants close the last cyan background cells, and black ants close the last outline cells. The heart silhouette is complete once the last matching cube lands and the level banner appears.

Colors in this level:

Cyan, Grey, Green, Red, Yellow, Black

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Filling the five empty white buffer slots in the top active row with a red 17, yellow 16, or black 18 click before the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart, which strands cyan and yellow refill ants behind active cyan and green ants on the dirt path and leaves the cyan background and the green cluster empty.
Firing the red 17 stack in source row 2 while cyan ants are still walking the dirt path up to the cyan background, which strands red ants on the still-empty heart body cells and blocks the late red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8 refill waves that need to reach the rest of the heart body.
Tapping the black 18 stack in source row 3 before the cyan background is at least half-closed, which sends black ants across the heart body cells that the red stacks still have to fill and stalls them on the still-empty outline cells at the edge of the art.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which opening tap keeps Colony Flow Level 36 clean?
Start with the cyan 20 stack at the left of source row 1, then the grey 18 in the middle of source row 1, and then the green 17 at the right of source row 1 (which will have risen into the active row by then). This closes the cyan background, the grey accent column, and the small green cluster together before any red heart body, yellow inner highlight, or black outline color is allowed onto the dirt path. Tap the red 17, yellow 16, cyan 14, red 15, black 18, or cyan 20 source stacks only after the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart.
What goes wrong if I send the red 17 stack too soon in Colony Flow Level 36?
The red 17 stack in source row 2 uses the same dirt path as the cyan 20 stack in source row 1, and the large red/pink heart body only sits in cells that are still open while the cyan background is closing. If red ants are sent before the cyan background is at least half-closed, they stall on the still-empty heart body cells, the late red 8, red 12, red 4, red 6, red 8, red 3, red 4, red 10, red 2, red 4, red 2, red 1 refill waves waiting in the active queue cannot reach the rest of the heart body, and the small cyan 8, cyan 10, yellow 8, and black 3 refill waves that have to rise into the five empty buffer slots get stranded behind active cyan and red ants on the dirt path. Tap red 17 only after the cyan 20, grey 18, and green 17 waves have cleared the perimeter of the heart.