Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 356 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 356 is a three-tier, thirteen-slot cork-and-frost box-release board with two corked red flasks at T1 and T5 as the only key to the upper red-padlock wooden box, two frost-locked top flasks (T2 brown, T4 dark blue) and one T3 empty flask as the only true starting buffer, plus two stacked wooden boxes (upper red padlock, lower pink padlock) in the middle area. Pour T1's corked red onto the upper red-padlock box to crack it open (which pops T1's cork as a side effect and reveals M1 corked pink, M2 wing/drip purple-yellow, M3 frost pink, M4 frost pink and M5 corked lime green), pour a pink from M3 or M4 onto the lower pink-padlock box to crack it (which reveals B1 corked pink, B2 frost lime green and B3 corked pink), pop the six corked flasks, unfreeze the five frost-locked flasks, and route the ten colors (red, blue, light blue, purple, pink, brown, cyan, yellow, orange, lime green) so the board closes on ten full single-color lanes plus the three empty leftover slots at the bottom row.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 356 — Full Solution
- Pour T1's corked red onto the upper red-padlock box to crack it open — the red matches the red padlock, the box releases the M1 corked pink, M2 wing/drip purple-yellow, M3 frost pink, M4 frost pink and M5 corked lime green flasks, and T1's cork pops as a side effect so T1 collapses into a clean working empty.
- Pour a pink from M3 (or M4, the frost-locked pink flasks) onto the lower pink-padlock box to crack it open — the pink matches the pink padlock, the box releases the B1 corked pink, B2 frost lime green and B3 corked pink flasks, and the popped M3/M4 collapses into a working empty that begins a pink lane.
- Unfreeze T2 (frost brown 1) and T4 (frost dark blue 1) by parking matching tops from the upper-box reveals — route a pink top onto T4's blue so the frost breaks and T4 becomes a working empty, and route a pink top onto T2's brown so the frost breaks and T2 becomes a working empty.
- Pop the M1 corked pink by pouring a pink top from a matching pink destination onto M1 so the cork releases the pink base, and pop the M5 corked lime green by pouring a lime-green top from B2 onto M5 so the cork releases the green base; both popped corks then become working empty slots that can be reused.
- Pop the B1 corked pink and B3 corked pink by pouring a pink top from the parked M1 (or any matching pink lane) onto B1 and B3 so both corks release their pink bases and collapse into working empties, then pour a lime-green top from the parked M5 onto B2 (frost lime green 1) to unfreeze B2 and start a green lane.
- Drain the M2 wing/drip purple-yellow two-segment mixer top-first by pouring purple onto the parked purple destination and yellow onto a working yellow lane so M2 collapses into a working empty, and keep the wing/drip marker on M2 in mind: only a matching top color can be poured into M2 without stranding the base.
- Route the popped bases from the upper and lower boxes plus the unfrozen T2 brown, T4 dark blue, M3/M4 pink and B2 lime green into matching parked lanes, clear every working empty onto a real stack before reusing it for a different color, and never let a non-matching color sit on a popped or unfrozen bottle.
- Top off the ten colors (red, blue, light blue, purple, pink, brown, cyan, yellow, orange, lime green) so every bottle ends on a single color, with the board closing on ten full single-color lanes plus the three empty leftover slots at the bottom row (B1, B2, B3 finish empty), and make sure the last cleared empty is the slot that finishes empty.
Colors in this level:
Red, Blue, Light blue, Purple, Pink, Brown, Cyan, Yellow, Orange, Lime green
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring the only red from T1 onto anything other than the upper red-padlock box, which strands the upper box because red has no other home on the board at the start and the box is the only consumer that takes red as a key color.
- Pouring pink from M1, M3 or M4 into a top-row lane before the lower pink-padlock box has a home, which strands the lower box because pink has no other consumer on the board and the lower box is the only match for the pink-key gate.
- Pouring a non-matching color onto the M2 wing/drip purple-yellow mixer, which strands the purple base because the wing/drip marker marks M2 as a special flask whose exposed color has to be matched exactly when poured.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 356 (spoiler-free)
- Pour T1's corked red onto the upper red-padlock box first, since red has no other home on the board at the start and the upper box is the only consumer that takes red as a key color — wasting the only red on a non-box destination strands the upper half of the level for the rest of the run.
- Walk a pink from M3 or M4 onto the lower pink-padlock box before pouring any pink into a top-row mix, because the lower box is the only consumer that takes pink and any pink used in the top mixers before the box opens strands the lower half of the level.
- Keep the wing/drip marker on M2 in mind: pour matching tops into M2 first and never let a non-matching color land on M2 or its purple base strands, since M2 is the special flask whose exposed color has to be matched exactly when poured.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier cork-and-frost board that opens as five top bottles plus two stacked wooden boxes (zero visible bottom bottles) and grows to a five-plus-five-plus-three layout (13 working slots) after both boxes crack. The top row is five tall bottles — T1 a corked flask with a single red layer and a cork-on-platform icon at the base (the only free red on the board), T2 a frost-locked tall bottle with a single brown layer and a '?' marker, T3 a tall flask with no cap and a white cloud inside (the only true starting empty), T4 a frost-locked tall bottle with a single dark-blue layer and a '?' marker, and T5 a corked flask with a single red layer and the same cork-on-platform icon as T1. The middle area is two stacked wooden boxes — an upper 4-layer-wide wooden box with a red padlock (the red-key gate) and a lower 4-layer-wide wooden box with a pink padlock (the pink-key gate). There are no locks, wraps or magic bottles at the start; the only special tiles at the start are the two corked red flasks (T1, T5), the two frost-locked flasks (T2, T4) and the two wooden boxes. The most visually dominant starter is the pair of wooden boxes in the middle area, and the second most dominant is the corked red pair at T1 and T5 because they are the only red on the board and the only key that opens the upper box.
- Goal
- Crack the upper red-padlock box using red (only source: T1 or T5), crack the lower pink-padlock box using pink (only sources: the upper-box reveals at M1, M3 or M4), then unfreeze every frost-locked bottle, pop every corked bottle, and route all ten colors (red, blue, light blue, purple, pink, brown, cyan, yellow, orange, lime green) into ten full single-color lanes so the board ends with ten complete bottles plus three empty leftover slots at the bottom row. The chokepoint is upper-box key-color discipline: the upper box only opens on a red pour, and the only red on the board is the single layer on T1 and the single layer on T5, so the first wave of pours has to send T1's red into the upper box first, which also pops T1's cork as a side effect, before any other top is moved. The second chokepoint is lower-box key-color discipline: the lower box wants pink, and the only pink on the board is hidden inside the upper box, so the upper box has to open and the popped corked M1 (pink) or the popped frozen M3/M4 (pink) has to be poured onto the lower box before any pink is consumed by a top-row mix.
- Opening
- Start with the corked red flasks. Pick up T1 (corked red 1) and pour it onto the upper red-padlock box — the red key matches the red padlock, the box cracks open with confetti, and the cork on T1 pops as a side effect so T1 collapses into a clean working empty. The upper box reveals five flasks in the new middle row: M1 a corked white flask with a single pink layer (the only pink on the board, the lower-box key), M2 a tall flask with a purple-over-yellow two-layer stack and a small wing/drip marker on the base, M3 a frost-locked tall bottle with a single pink layer and a '?' marker, M4 a tall flask with a pink-over-pink two-layer stack and a '?' marker, and M5 a corked white flask with a single lime-green layer. Pour the popped T1's now-exposed red onto the popped T5 (corked red 1) so red stacks into a clean 2-layer red lane on T5 and T1 stays empty as a clean working buffer.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring the only red onto anything other than the upper box strands the red-key gate closed for the rest of the run, because red has no other home on the board at the start and the box is the only consumer that takes red. The second trap is pouring pink from M1, M3 or M4 into a top-row lane before the lower pink-padlock box has a home, because pink has no other consumer on the board and any pink poured onto a non-matching top strands the lower box closed. The third trap is the wing/drip marker on M2 — it marks the bottle as a special flask whose top color has to be matched exactly when poured, and pouring a non-matching color onto M2 strands the purple base. The fourth trap is unfreezing T2 or T4 with a non-matching color, which strands the brown and dark-blue bases and burns one of the only two brown/blue homes on the board. The fifth trap is popping the M5 lime-green cork with a non-green pour, which leaves the wrong color on top of M5 and costs an extra pour to clear before the green base can be reached.
- Mechanics
- A three-tier, thirteen-slot cork-and-frost box-release board whose only special tiles are two wooden boxes (upper red padlock, lower pink padlock) plus six corked flasks (T1 red, T5 red, M1 pink, M5 lime green, B1 pink, B3 pink) and five frost-locked bottles (T2 brown, T4 dark blue, M3 pink, M4 pink, B2 lime green). The upper red-padlock box opens on the only matching pour, releases the new middle row of five flasks (M1 corked pink, M2 wing/drip purple-yellow, M3 frost pink, M4 frost pink, M5 corked lime green), and the lower pink-padlock box opens on the matching pink pour to release the bottom row of three flasks (B1 corked pink, B2 frost lime green, B3 corked pink). The chokepoint is key-color discipline at the two boxes plus cork-popping discipline at the six corked flasks plus frost-unlock discipline at the five frost-locked bottles: crack the upper box with T1's red, then walk a pink from M1, M3 or M4 onto the lower box, pop the corked pink and lime-green flasks in the bottom row once the lower box reveals them, unfreeze the T2 brown, T4 dark blue, M3 pink, M4 pink and B2 lime green flasks with matching tops from the top mixers, and top off the ten colors (red, blue, light blue, purple, pink, brown, cyan, yellow, orange, lime green) so the board closes on ten full single-color lanes plus three empty leftover slots at the bottom row.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the very first pour in Magic Sort Level 356?
Pour T1's corked red onto the upper red-padlock wooden box to crack it open. The red matches the red padlock, the box releases the new middle row (M1 corked pink, M2 wing/drip purple-yellow, M3 frost pink, M4 frost pink, M5 corked lime green), and T1's cork pops as a side effect so T1 collapses into a clean working empty. T1 and T5 are the only red on the whole board, and the upper box is the only consumer that takes red as a key color, so T1's red has to be the very first pour before any other top is moved.
How does the lower pink-padlock box open in Magic Sort Level 356?
The lower pink-padlock box only opens on a matching pink pour, and the only pink on the board is hidden inside the upper red-padlock box. After the upper box cracks and reveals M1 (corked pink), M3 (frost pink) and M4 (frost pink), pour a pink top from M3 or M4 onto the lower pink-padlock box to crack it — the pink matches the pink padlock, the box releases the B1 corked pink, B2 frost lime green and B3 corked pink flasks, and the popped M3/M4 collapses into a working empty that begins a pink lane. Wasting any pink on a non-box destination strands the lower box closed for the rest of the run.
What does the wing/drip marker on M2 mean in Magic Sort Level 356?
The wing/drip marker on the M2 purple-yellow two-segment mixer marks the bottle as a special flask whose exposed top color has to be matched exactly when poured. M2 is the only bottle on the board that carries this marker, and pouring a non-matching color onto M2 strands the purple base and burns the only purple-yellow source. Drain M2 top-first by pouring purple onto a matching purple destination and yellow onto a working yellow lane, and keep M2's marker in mind every time the bottle is targeted.