Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 287 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 287 is a three-tier, ten-bottle staged release finale on a 4-column grid with two wooden vaults (yellow padlock in the middle row, blue padlock in the bottom row) and four "?" corks scattered across the top, middle and bottom rows. Bank yellow from the middle-row cork flask and pour it onto the yellow-padlock box to drop the tan release, peel cyan off the middle-row cork before orange, and pop the blue-padlock box only after a blue lane is banked in the right-side buffer, then route every released color onto its own lane so all ten flasks end on a single color.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 287 — Full Solution
- Tap the col-1 top buffer, then pour the yellow top off the middle-row, col-2 "?" cork flask into the buffer to bank yellow. Pour that yellow onto the middle-row wooden box (yellow padlock) — the box pops and releases a fresh tan segment onto the box slot.
- Pour the released tan off the box slot into the col-1 top buffer to start a clean tan lane, then peel the cyan top off the middle-row, col-4 "?" cork flask into the col-1 buffer and route that cyan onto the top-row, col-2 red flask to start a cyan-over-red stack.
- Peel the orange top off the top-row, col-4 "?" cork flask into the col-1 buffer, then pour that orange onto the bottom-row, col-4 dark/burgundy flask to start an orange-over-dark stack. The cork on top-col-4 pops, exposing the cyan segment below.
- Pour the now-exposed cyan from the top-row, col-4 flask onto the cyan-over-red stack at top-col-2, then pour the released green from the bottom-row, col-4 cork onto the col-1 buffer to bank green. The bot-col-4 cork pops.
- Pour the banked green from the col-1 buffer onto the bottom-row, col-3 wooden box (blue padlock) — the box opens and drops a fresh green segment onto the box slot. Route the released green onto the col-1 buffer to grow the green lane.
- Drain the pink top off the top-row, col-3 flask onto the green lane at col-1 to bank pink, then pour the red base off the top-row, col-2 cyan-red stack onto the pink lane to start a red-over-pink stack. Peel the tan top off the col-1 buffer onto a fresh slot to start a tan lane.
- Pour the gray hidden under the top-row, col-4 cyan flask onto the tan lane at the fresh slot, then route the released dark/burgundy from the bottom-row, col-4 cork onto the gray-over-tan stack. Peel the green top off the bottom-row, col-3 box slot onto the col-1 green lane to grow it.
- Top off red, pink, orange, cyan, green, yellow, purple, gray, brown and tan so all ten flasks end on a single color with no cork seals or empty slots left.
Colors in this level:
Red, Pink, Orange, Cyan, Green, Yellow, Purple, Gray, Brown, Tan
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring the middle-row, col-2 yellow onto a sort flask instead of the yellow-padlock box, which strands the only yellow segment on the board and leaves the box locked, so the tan release never enters play.
- Peeling orange off the top-row, col-4 "?" cork flask before cyan is banked, which strands the orange lane on top of the cyan release and locks the col-2 stack.
- Pouring the bottom-row, col-4 dark/burgundy onto the blue-padlock box before a blue lane is built, which seals the box shut and strands the dark color with no place to dock.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 287 (spoiler-free)
- Pour the middle-row, col-2 yellow directly onto the yellow-padlock box — that is the only yellow segment on the board until the box pops, and the box is what releases tan.
- Peel cyan off the middle-row, col-4 "?" cork flask before orange, so the cyan release has a red stack to dock on at top-col-2 and does not collide with the orange pour.
- Pop the bottom-row, col-3 blue-padlock box only after a blue lane is banked in the col-1 buffer, so the released green has somewhere to land.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier board four columns wide and ten bottle positions across — top row of four, middle row of four, and a short bottom row of two (cols 3 and 4 only). The top row opens with an empty clear flask at col-1, a near-empty red (1 segment) at col-2, a near-empty pink (1 segment) at col-3, and a near-empty orange+cyan (2 segments, "?" cork) at col-4. The middle row opens with an empty at col-1, a near-empty yellow (1 segment, "?" cork) at col-2, a wooden vault with a yellow padlock at col-3, and a near-empty cyan (1 segment, "?" cork) at col-4. The bottom row holds only two positions — a wooden vault with a blue padlock at col-3 and a near-empty dark/burgundy (1 segment, "?" cork) at col-4. Six of the ten flasks start near-empty (1-2 segments), two positions are empty starting buffers (col-1 top and col-1 middle), and the last two positions are locked wooden boxes.
- Goal
- Pop the middle-row yellow-padlock box first to free a tan segment, peel the four "?" corks in top-col-4, mid-col-2, mid-col-4 and bot-col-4 to free their hidden colors, then pop the bottom-row blue-padlock box to free green. Route tan, green, brown, gray and dark/burgundy onto their own lanes so all ten flasks hold a single color with no cork seals left.
- Opening
- Tap the col-1 top buffer, then pour the yellow top off the middle-row, col-2 "?" cork flask into the buffer to bank yellow. Pour that yellow onto the middle-row wooden box (yellow padlock) — the box pops and releases a fresh tan segment onto the box slot. Pour the tan onto the col-1 top buffer to start a tan lane, then peel the cyan top off the middle-row, col-4 "?" cork flask into the col-1 buffer and route that cyan onto the top-row, col-2 red flask to start a cyan-over-red stack.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring the wrong color onto either wooden box (orange onto the yellow padlock, or pink onto the blue padlock) seals the padlock shut and burns the move. The middle-row, col-2 yellow flask is the only yellow segment on the board until the box pops, so spend it on the box, not on a sort. The top-row, col-4 orange+cyan cork is the only place to bank orange and the only place to bank cyan simultaneously — peel orange after cyan is banked, or the orange lane and the cyan release collide on the col-2 stack and lock it. The bottom-row, col-4 dark/burgundy flask is the only source of dark, and pouring it onto the blue padlock box before blue is banked strands the dark color with nowhere to dock.
- Mechanics
- A staged near-empty finale on a 3-tier, 4-column, 10-bottle grid with two wooden vaults (yellow and blue padlocks) and four "?" corks scattered across the top, middle and bottom rows. Eight of the ten flasks open with just 1-2 segments, so every move before the first cork pops is a high-stakes color bank. The puzzle is unlock order — yellow box first to free tan, then the four "?" corks, then the blue box to free green, then route every released color onto its own lane until all ten flasks end on a single color.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you open the two wooden boxes in Magic Sort Level 287?
Bank yellow from the middle-row, col-2 "?" cork flask into the col-1 top buffer, then pour that yellow onto the middle-row, col-3 box (yellow padlock) — the box pops and releases a fresh tan segment. Build a blue lane in the col-1 buffer from the green release of the bot-col-4 cork, then pour that blue onto the bottom-row, col-3 box (blue padlock) to drop a fresh green segment. Pouring a non-matching color (orange onto yellow, or pink onto blue) seals the box and burns the move.
Why does the top-row, col-4 "?" cork flask have to be peeled cyan-first in Level 287?
The top-row, col-4 flask is the only place to bank both orange and cyan on the same pour. Peel cyan first onto the top-row, col-2 red stack to start a cyan-over-red lane, then peel orange onto the bottom-row, col-4 dark flask. Reverse the order and the orange pour lands on top of the cyan release, locking the col-2 stack and stranding both colors.