Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 285 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 285 is a three-tier, thirteen-bottle cork finale that hides its real chokepoint behind four "?" corks in the bottom row — green, pink, red/brown and purple caps that only crack on their exact matching color and each drop three hidden segments. Bank blue, orange, purple, red, pink and green in the two outer top-row buffers first, walk the four corks in cap-color order so every release lands on a prepared lane, then drain the four middle-row four-color flasks top-first so all thirteen positions end on a single color.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 285 — Full Solution
- Tap the top-row, col-1 and col-5 empties as scratch flasks, then peel the blue top off the top-row, col-2 mixer (blue/orange/purple/yellow) into the top-row, col-1 buffer to bank blue, and dock the orange now exposed on col-2 into the top-row, col-5 buffer to start an orange lane.
- Pour the purple top off the top-row, col-4 mixer (blue/red/purple) onto the banked blue at top-row, col-1 to start a purple-over-blue stack, then run the red now exposed on col-4 into the top-row, col-5 orange buffer to start a red-over-orange stack.
- Pour the banked purple from the top-row, col-1 buffer onto the bottom-row, col-4 cork (purple cap) — the cork pops and drops a fresh purple segment onto the col-4 slot. Route that released purple onto a fresh col-1 segment to grow the purple lane.
- Peel the green top off the middle-row, col-3 mixer (purple/orange/blue/green) into the top-row, col-1 buffer to bank green, then pour that green onto the bottom-row, col-1 cork (green cap) — the cork pops and drops a fresh green segment onto the col-1 slot. Route the released green onto a fresh buffer segment to grow the green lane.
- Peel the pink top off the middle-row, col-4 mixer (blue/pink/brown/red) into the top-row, col-5 buffer to bank pink, then pour that pink onto the bottom-row, col-2 cork (pink cap) — the cork pops and drops a fresh pink segment onto the col-2 slot. Route the released pink onto the col-5 buffer to grow the pink lane.
- Peel the red/brown top off the middle-row, col-1 mixer (cyan/red/dark/brown) into the top-row, col-1 buffer to bank red/brown, then pour that onto the bottom-row, col-3 cork (red/brown cap) — the cork pops and drops a fresh red/brown segment onto the col-3 slot. Route the released color onto a fresh buffer to grow the red/brown lane.
- Drain the four middle-row four-color flasks top-first into the top-row, col-1 and col-5 buffers, peeling dark, brown, yellow, cyan and any remaining segments onto their own lanes, and clear the now-empty middle-row slots as new buffers.
- Top off blue, orange, purple, red, pink, green, brown, yellow, cyan, dark and red/brown so all thirteen bottles end on a single color with no mixed segments and no cork seals left.
Colors in this level:
Blue, Orange, Purple, Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Brown, Cyan, Dark
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring the wrong color onto any of the four bottom-row corks (orange onto the green cap, red onto the pink cap, blue onto the red/brown cap, yellow onto the purple cap), which does not pop the seal and just buries the wrong color on top of the hidden segments, so the matching cap color cannot reach the seal until the wrong pour is peeled back off.
- Spending the top-row, col-3 red half-flask on a sort stack instead of saving it for the bottom-row, col-3 red/brown cork trigger, which strands the only pure red on the board and leaves the col-3 cork locked.
- Peeling orange off the middle-row, col-3 purple/orange/blue/green flask before purple is banked, which strands the orange pour on top of a buried color and locks the four-color mixer under a wrong pour.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 285 (spoiler-free)
- Bank the four cork-cap colors (green, pink, red/brown and purple) in the top-row, col-1 and col-5 buffers before you pop a single cork, so every released segment has a clean lane.
- Pour the purple top off the top-row, col-4 mixer onto the bottom-row, col-4 cork first — that is the only purple source on the board until the cork pops, and the cork is what unlocks the rest of the run.
- Walk the four corks in cap-color order (purple → green → pink → red/brown) so each release lands on the lane you already banked, and never peel orange off the middle-row, col-3 mixer before purple is banked, or the four-color flask strands a buried color under a wrong pour.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier board with five columns on the top tier and four columns on the middle and bottom tiers — thirteen visible bottle positions and two starting empties at top-row, col-1 and col-5. The top row holds a four-segment blue/orange/purple/yellow flask at col-2, a half-empty red at col-3, and a three-segment blue/red/purple flask at col-4. The middle row holds four heavily mixed four-color flasks — cyan/red/dark/brown at col 1, brown/purple/ yellow/blue at col 2, purple/orange/blue/green at col 3, and blue/pink/brown/red at col 4. The bottom row is four cork-locked "?" flasks, each a four-segment tower with a colored cap on top — green cap at col 1, pink cap at col 2, red/brown cap at col 3, and purple cap at col 4. The top-row, col-2 blue/orange/purple/yellow and the middle-row, col-3 purple/orange/blue/ green are the most prominent mixers on the board.
- Goal
- Pop the bottom-row, col-4 purple cap first to free a fresh purple segment, then walk the bottom-row, col-1 green, col-2 pink and col-3 red/brown corks in cap-color order so each one drops its three hidden segments onto a lane already banked in the top-row, col-1 and col-5 buffers. After all four corks pop, drain the four middle-row four-color flasks top-first so all thirteen positions end on a single color with no cork seals left.
- Opening
- Tap the top-row, col-1 and col-5 empties as scratch flasks, then peel the blue top off the top-row, col-2 mixer (blue/orange/purple/yellow) into the top-row, col-1 buffer to bank blue, and dock the orange now exposed on col-2 into the top-row, col-5 buffer to start an orange lane. Pour the purple top off the top-row, col-4 mixer (blue/red/purple) onto the banked blue at top-row, col-1 to start a purple-over-blue stack, then run the red now exposed on col-4 into the top-row, col-5 orange buffer to start a red-over-orange stack. Pour the banked purple onto the bottom-row, col-4 cork (purple cap) — the cork pops and drops a fresh purple segment onto the col-4 slot.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring the wrong color onto any of the four bottom-row corks (orange onto the green cap, red onto the pink cap, blue onto the red/brown cap, yellow onto the purple cap) does not pop the seal and just buries the wrong color on top of the hidden segments, so the player has to peel it back off before the matching cap color can be poured in. The top-row, col-3 red half-flask is the only pure red on the entire board until the bottom-row, col-3 red/brown cork pops, so spend it on the matching cork trigger, not on a sort. The middle-row, col-3 purple/orange/blue/green flask is the only place to bank purple, orange, blue and green simultaneously — peel purple first onto the top-row, col-4 cork trigger, then peel orange, blue and green in that order, or the four-color mixer strands a buried color under a wrong pour. The bottom-row, col-2 pink cork and bottom-row, col-1 green cork both want colors that only exist at the very top of their matching four-color flasks, so bank pink and green in the col-1/col-5 buffers before popping those two corks, otherwise the released segments have nowhere clean to land.
- Mechanics
- A three-tier cork finale with five columns on the top tier and four columns on the middle and bottom tiers. Four "?" corks in the bottom row — green, pink, red/brown and purple caps — each guard three hidden segments, and the cap color is the only color that cracks each seal. The two outer top-row empties are the only buffers on the board, so the chokepoint is colour-lane first, cork second — bank the cork-cap colors in the buffers before any cork trigger, then walk the corks in cap-color order so every release lands on a prepared lane.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you open the four bottom-row corks in Magic Sort Level 285?
Bank the matching cap colors in the top-row, col-1 and col-5 buffers before you pop a single cork — purple from the top-row, col-4 mixer, green from the middle-row, col-3 mixer, pink from the middle-row, col-4 mixer, and red/brown from the middle-row, col-1 mixer. Pour each banked color onto its matching cap and the cork pops, dropping three hidden segments onto the cork slot. Walking the corks in cap-color order (purple, green, pink, red/brown) lets every release land on a prepared lane. Pouring a non-matching color onto a cork does not crack the seal and just buries the wrong color on top of the hidden segments.
Why must the top-row, col-3 red half-flask be saved for the bottom-row, col-3 cork in Level 285?
The top-row, col-3 flask is the only pure red on the entire board until the bottom-row, col-3 red/brown cork pops, and red is the only color that opens the red/brown cap. Spend the red on a sort stack and the cap cannot match, so the three hidden segments under the col-3 cork never enter play and the puzzle stalls. Bank the red in the top-row, col-1 or col-5 buffer until the cork trigger is ready, then pour the banked red onto the cap to drop the three hidden segments onto the col-3 slot.