Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 296 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 296 is a three-tier, thirteen-bottle finale that opens with zero empties and eight "?" cork caps spread across the top, middle and bottom rows. The only full bottle on the board is middle-row col 5 (red) under a cork hiding yellow, and that yellow is the only working lane you get until middle col 1 empties out. Pop the col 5 cork first to free yellow, peel orange off top-row col 4 onto top-row col 2 to pop the second cork, drain middle col 1 to claim the first buffer, then walk the remaining six corks in pour order so every release lands on a lane you have already banked.
If the player asks you to sign in, open the video on YouTube instead.
How to Solve Magic Sort Level 296 — Full Solution
- Pop the middle-row col 5 cork (red stack) by pouring red onto red, releasing the hidden yellow, then dock yellow onto top-row col 4 next to the orange so a yellow lane and an orange lane share a buffer.
- Pop the middle-row col 1 cork by routing the dark-green from the top-row col 2 mixer down onto it, then drain the now-exposed dark base of middle col 1 into middle col 5 to start the dark lane and free middle col 1 as the first empty.
- Use middle col 1 as your scratch buffer — pour the cyan top of top-row col 1 into middle col 1, then pour the orange top of top-row col 4 onto the blue of top-row col 2 to pop that cork, revealing the hidden blue underneath, and dock orange onto the now-exposed purple.
- Pour the light-green top of middle-row col 3 onto the dark base of top-row col 3 to pop that cork, revealing the hidden green segment. Route that green onto top-row col 1 (cyan lane) and clear middle col 3.
- Pop the top-row col 5 cork (purple-over-dark) by routing the dark base of top-row col 2 onto it. The cork releases brown, which joins the dark stack and the bottle becomes a brown lane.
- Pour the dark-green top of bottom-row col 1 onto the now-empty middle-row col 1, then pop the bottom-row col 1 cork by pouring the matching color onto it — route the released color into a fresh lane and clear bottom col 1.
- Pop the bottom-row col 2 cork (blue/cyan/blue) by routing the matching color onto it with the blue lane already banked, then pop the bottom-row col 3 cork (red/red) by routing red onto red. Each release joins its own lane and the bottom row collapses to three single-color bottles.
- Top off top-row col 1 (cyan), top-row col 2 (blue), top-row col 4 (purple), middle-row col 1 (blue), middle-row col 2 (orange), middle-row col 4 (green), and middle-row col 5 (yellow) so all thirteen bottles end on a single color with no corks left.
Colors in this level:
Cyan, Blue, Purple, Orange, Dark, Green, Pink, Red, Yellow, Brown
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring a non-matching color onto any of the eight corks, which seals the cork shut and burns the move you needed to release that hidden color — there is no slack space with zero empties.
- Popping bottom-row col 2 (blue/cyan/blue) before the blue lane is banked on top-row col 2, which strands the released cyan between two blue segments and locks the bottom row.
- Walking the corks in the wrong order and starting on the bottom row first, which leaves the top-row corks sealed because the matching colors are still buried under mixes you cannot route.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 296 (spoiler-free)
- Pop the middle-row col 5 cork first to free the yellow lane — that yellow is the only working space you have until middle col 1 empties out.
- Walk the corks in a fixed order: middle col 5, then middle col 1, then top col 2, top col 3, top col 5, then the three bottom corks in col 1, col 2, col 3 order.
- Bottom-row col 2 (blue/cyan/blue) is the trap — its cyan segment is sandwiched between two blues, so bank the blue lane on top-row col 2 before you pop that cork.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier board, 5+5+3 layout, with thirteen bottle positions and zero starting empties. Eight of the thirteen bottles wear a small tan "?" cork cap — top row col 2 (blue-over-purple), col 3 (purple-over-pink), col 5 (purple-over-dark); middle row col 1 (dark-green-over-dark) and col 5 (full red, the only single-color stack but still corked); bottom row col 1 (dark-green/cyan/dark, the heaviest single bottle), col 2 (blue/cyan/blue) and col 3 (red/red). The five uncorked bottles are top row col 1 (cyan/blue/cyan), col 4 (orange/blue), and middle row col 2 (red/dark-red/dark), col 3 (light-green/dark), col 4 (pink/dark).
- Goal
- Pop the eight corks in the right pour order so each reveals its hidden color, then drain every mixed bottle into a single color so all thirteen positions end on one color with no corks left. The real bottleneck is opening the workshop with zero empties — the first cork has to free a working buffer and the matching color to pour onto the next cork.
- Opening
- Pop the middle-row col 5 cork (red stack) by pouring red onto red, releasing the hidden yellow, then dock yellow onto top-row col 4 next to orange so a yellow lane and an orange lane share a buffer. Pop the middle-row col 1 cork by routing the dark-green from the top-row col 2 mixer down onto it, then drain the now-exposed dark base of middle col 1 into middle col 5 to start the dark lane and free middle col 1 as the first empty. Pour the orange top of top-row col 4 onto the blue of top-row col 2 to pop that cork and reveal the hidden blue underneath.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring a non-matching color onto any of the eight corks seals the cork shut and burns the move — the hidden color is locked in the cork, not in the visible stack, so the only way to learn what the cork holds is to commit to the right pour. Bottom-row col 1 (dark-green/cyan/dark) and bottom-row col 2 (blue/cyan/blue) are the most fragile: each has a cyan segment sandwiched between two different colors, so the wrong pour strands cyan between two stacks and the bottle locks. Bottom-row col 2 in particular needs the blue lane to be banked on top-row col 2 before its cork is popped, or the released color has nowhere clean to dock.
- Mechanics
- A zero-empties opening on a 13-bottle, 8-cork board. The hidden colors live in the corks themselves, not in the bottle stacks, so the first eight moves all have to be cork triggers before any normal sort can start. The bottom row is a tight three-cork cluster where the visible mix and the hidden cork color can fight each other if the cork is popped with the wrong pour. The single full bottle on the board (middle col 5 red) is the only one that gives the player a clean first target.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start Magic Sort Level 296 with zero empties on the board?
Pop the middle-row col 5 cork (red stack) first by pouring red onto red, releasing the hidden yellow, then dock yellow onto top-row col 4 next to the orange. That yellow is the only working lane you have until you drain middle col 1 to claim the first buffer.
Why is bottom-row col 2 the trap in Magic Sort Level 296?
It is blue/cyan/blue under a cork — the cyan segment is sandwiched between two blue segments, so the cork there releases a color that is wedged between the same color on both sides. Bank the blue lane on top-row col 2 first, then pop the col 2 cork, and the released color docks cleanly on the blue lane instead of stranding cyan between two stacks.