Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 297 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 297 is a three-tier, fifteen-bottle cork-and-tunnel finale where the entire run is gated by three corks and one tilted "?" cap bottle. The tilted dark bottle at top-col-2 carries a "?" cap that hides a color, and the two small tan-peach corked bottles in the top corners seal full-size bottles underneath. Pop the top-col-5 cork first with the orange from the tall top-col-3 mixer, pop the top-col-1 cork with the yellow and red from the middle row, then route the right color onto the tilted "?" cap so the tunnel releases its hidden color into the top-col-2 slot, and finish by draining the top-col-3 mixer top-first so all fifteen positions end on a single color.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 297 — Full Solution
- Peel the small orange top off the top-col-3 mixer (purple-and-dark body with an orange peek) and pour it onto the top-col-5 corked bottle — the cork pops and a full tall purple bottle drops into the top-col-5 slot, which becomes your first real buffer.
- Pour the yellow off the middle-row, col-2 starter onto the top-col-1 corked bottle so yellow stacks on top of the tan-peach body, then pour the red off the middle-row, col-1 starter onto the same top-col-1 to pop the top-left seal and drop a full red bottle into the top-col-1 slot.
- Pull the pink off the middle-row, col-3 starter into the small near-empty buffer at bottom-col-2 to bank pink on the right, then pour the dark top off the middle-row, col-5 starter onto the now-empty tilted top-col-2 bottle so the "?" cap receives dark and the tunnel starts opening.
- Pour the matching color (the dark that was just stacked) onto the tilted "?" cap at top-col-2 — the cap flies off and the hidden color drops into the top-col-2 slot. Route that released color onto a matching lane in the right-side buffers so it stops blocking the top row.
- Pop the cork on the tall bottom-col-1 orange by pouring the banked orange onto it, then use the freed bottom-col-1 slot as the orange home and pour every other bottle that exposes orange onto it.
- Drain the tall top-col-3 mixer top-first into the right-side buffers. Peel purple onto the tall purple at top-col-5, peel the dark onto the matching dark lane, and peel the last segment onto its own stack so the top row is fully routed.
- Walk the second red off the middle-row, col-4 starter onto the matching red lane at top-col-1, walk pink off the bottom-col-2 buffer onto the matching pink lane, and walk the released tunnel color back onto its own home.
- Top off orange, red, yellow, pink, purple, dark and the released tunnel color so all fifteen bottles end on a single color with no "?" caps, no corks and no mixed segments left.
Colors in this level:
Red, Yellow, Pink, Orange, Purple, Dark, Blue, Cyan, Brown, Green
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring purple or dark onto the top-col-5 corked bottle before the orange from the top-col-3 mixer is banked, which seals the top-col-5 cork shut and strands the tall purple you needed as your first buffer.
- Pouring red or dark straight onto the top-col-1 tan-peach body before yellow is stacked on it, which buries the matching color under a foreign one and wastes the only pour that can pop the top-left seal.
- Touching the tilted "?" cap at top-col-2 with a color that does not match what the tunnel releases, which locks the cap, makes the tilted bottle a dead pour, and strands the hidden color on top with no way to drain.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 297 (spoiler-free)
- Pour the orange off the top-col-3 mixer before you touch any other pour — orange is the only color that pops the top-col-5 cork, and if purple or dark goes onto that cork first the top-col-5 seal stays closed and the tall purple buffer never surfaces.
- Stack yellow on the top-col-1 cork first, then pour the middle-row red onto the same top-col-1 to pop the top-left seal — pouring red or dark straight onto the tan-peach body buries the matching color and seals the cork.
- After the top-col-5 cork pops, route the released purple onto a clean home before you touch the tilted "?" cap, or the tunnel color strands itself on top of the purple and you lose a buffer in the middle of the run.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier, five-column board of fifteen bottle positions with twelve bottles and three empty slots in the bottom row. The top row is five special positions: a small tan-peach corked bottle at top-col-1, a tilted dark bottle capped with a small "?" mark at top-col-2 (the only tunnel/wrap on the board), a tall mixed purple-and-dark mixer with an orange peek at top-col-3, a small near-empty buffer at top-col-4, and a second small tan-peach corked bottle at top-col-5. The middle row is five small single-color starter bottles — red at col-1, yellow at col-2, pink at col-3, red at col-4, and dark/black at col-5. The bottom row is just two bottles: a tall orange bottle with a small tan cork on the lip at col-1 and a small near-empty blue/cyan buffer at col-2. Bottom-row cols 3, 4 and 5 are empty and become the third buffer built out of the right-side workspace. No wooden boxes, no magic bottles and no frozen tiles.
- Goal
- Pop the top-col-5 cork first with the orange from the top-col-3 mixer so a full tall purple drops into the top-col-5 slot and becomes the first real buffer. Then pop the top-col-1 cork with the yellow and red from the middle row, pop the bottom-col-1 cork with the banked orange, and pour the matching color onto the tilted "?" cap at top-col-2 so the tunnel releases its hidden color into the top-col-2 slot. After all three corks are gone and the "?" cap is open, drain the tall top-col-3 mixer top-first into the right-side buffers and walk the released tunnel color back onto its own home so all fifteen positions end on a single color with no mixed segments and no cork caps left.
- Opening
- Peel the small orange top off the top-col-3 mixer (purple-and-dark body with an orange peek) and pour it onto the top-col-5 corked bottle — the cork pops and a full tall purple bottle drops into the top-col-5 slot. Pour the yellow off the middle-row, col-2 starter onto the top-col-1 corked bottle to stack yellow on the tan-peach body, then pour the middle-row, col-1 red onto the same top-col-1 to pop the top-left seal and drop a full red bottle into the top-col-1 slot. Pull the pink off the middle-row, col-3 starter into the small near-empty buffer at bottom-col-2 to bank pink on the right, then pour the dark top off the middle-row, col-5 starter onto the now-empty tilted top-col-2 bottle so the "?" cap receives dark and the tunnel starts opening.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring the wrong color onto the top-col-1 cork (orange, red-on-its-own, or dark into the tan-peach body) seals the top-left cork shut, so the yellow from the middle row, col-2 has to be the first pour onto that cork. The tilted "?" cap at top-col-2 is the second deadlock: drop a color onto that cap that does not match what the tunnel releases and the cap locks, the tilted bottle becomes a dead bottle, and the hidden color strands itself on top with no way to drain. The tall orange at bottom-col-1 is the third trap: pour anything other than orange onto its cork and the cork seals, the orange lane has nowhere to bank, and every other mixed bottle that exposes orange has to wait. Peel orange from the top-col-3 mixer first and bank it next to the bottom-col-1 orange, or the orange lane strands itself before any of the three corks can pop.
- Mechanics
- A tunnel/wrap finale with three corks — a tilted "?" cap bottle and two small tan-peach corked corners — on a three-tier 12-bottle board with only two real starting buffers. The chokepoint is cork-then-tunnel: pop the top-col-5 cork with the orange from the top-col-3 mixer, pop the top-col-1 cork with the yellow and red from the middle row, pop the bottom-col-1 cork with the banked orange, then route the matching color onto the tilted "?" cap so the tunnel releases its hidden color into the freed top-col-2 slot. After the three corks pop and the "?" cap opens, drain the tall top-col-3 mixer top-first into the right-side buffers and walk the released tunnel color back onto its own home, so all fifteen positions end on a single color with no "?" caps, no corks and no mixed segments left.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start Magic Sort Level 297 with three corks and a tilted "?" cap bottle?
Peel the orange off the top-col-3 mixer and pour it onto the top-col-5 cork to pop the top-right seal and drop a full tall purple into the top-col-5 slot. Stack yellow on the top-col-1 cork first, then pour the middle-row red onto the same top-col-1 to pop the top-left seal. Pull pink into the bottom-col-2 buffer to bank pink on the right, then pour dark onto the tilted top-col-2 bottle so the "?" cap receives dark and the tunnel starts opening.
Why is the tilted "?" cap at top-col-2 the real chokepoint in Level 297?
The tilted bottle is a tunnel/wrap, and the "?" cap hides one extra color. The cap only opens on its exact matching color, so drop the wrong color on it and the cap locks, the tilted bottle becomes a dead pour, and the hidden color strands itself on top with no way to drain. Pour the dark from the middle-row, col-5 starter onto the cap after the top-col-5 cork has popped, route the released color onto a clean lane immediately, and the tunnel becomes a real buffer for the rest of the run.