Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 389 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 389 is a three-tier, thirteen-position three-box vault release with one wide red-padlock wooden box on the top tier that hides three full bottles, and two smaller single-slot yellow and blue padlock wooden boxes on the bottom row that hide one bottle each. The only path to blue runs through the wide top red box, so pour the red top of M1 (brown-over-red) onto the top red-padlock box first, then pour the now-exposed blue top of T2 onto the blue-padlock box at B2, then pour the yellow top of M3 (yellow-over-red) onto the yellow-padlock box at B1. Once all three boxes are open, peel the remaining five middle mixers and the two other revealed top bottles top-first, route everything through the freed top-row slots and the B1 plus B2 released bottles, and top off red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, cyan and brown each into a single bottle so the board closes on nine full single-color lanes plus the B4 dark near-empty as the leftover empty.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 389 — Full Solution
- Pour the red top off the M1 brown-over-red mixer onto the wide red-padlock wooden box on the top tier — the box cracks, the curtain splits, and three tall bottles drop into the top row: T1 (red cap, pink-red-orange-red-blue, five layers), T2 (yellow cap, blue-orange-yellow, four layers) and T3 (red cap, red-red-dark-cyan, five layers).
- Pour the blue top of the just-revealed T2 bottle onto the small blue-padlock wooden box at B2 — the box pops, a fresh released bottle drops onto the B2 slot, and B2 joins the workshop as a clean buffer.
- Pour the yellow top off the M3 yellow-over-red mixer onto the small yellow-padlock wooden box at B1 — the second small box pops, a fresh released bottle drops onto the B1 slot, and B1 becomes a third working bottle.
- Peel the M2 green-over-pink mixer top-first: pour the pink top onto the small M5 pink near-empty to grow the pink lane, then pour the green base onto a freed top-row slot to start the green lane.
- Drain the M4 orange-over-purple mixer top-first: pour the orange top onto a freed top-row slot or onto the parked orange lane, then pour the purple base onto a freed top-row slot to start the purple lane.
- Drain the M1 brown-over-red mixer (now showing red-on-brown after the first red was used to crack the wide box) and the M3 yellow-over-red mixer (now showing red-on-yellow after the yellow went to B1) top-first, peeling brown, red and the second red onto matching lanes and freeing the M1 and M3 slots as working empties.
- Sort the three revealed top-tier bottles (T1, T2, T3) and the two small bottom-box releases (B1, B2) by pouring each exposed top color onto a matching parked lane from steps 4 to 6, keeping the freed T1, T2, T3, M1, M3 and B4 slots as one-color shuttles.
- Top off red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, cyan and brown each into a single bottle so the board ends with nine full single-color lanes plus the B4 dark near-empty as the leftover empty, and make sure the last cleared shuttle is the slot that stays empty at the end of the run.
Colors in this level:
Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Pink, Cyan, Brown
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring a non-blue color onto the B2 blue-padlock wooden box, which strands the box because blue lives in exactly one place (the T2 top) the moment the wide top box cracks.
- Pouring the red off M3 first instead of M1, which strands yellow with no other source and leaves the B1 yellow-padlock box with no key to crack.
- Pouring the red caps off T1 or T3 into a wrong home, which buries the matching red lane that the wide red box itself just released and locks the rest of the sort.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 389 (spoiler-free)
- Crack the wide red-padlock box on the very first move so the blue on the revealed T2 bottle becomes available for the B2 blue-padlock box.
- Pour the red top off M1 to crack the wide top box, not the red buried under M3's yellow — yellow has to land on the B1 yellow-padlock box, and spending M3's red first strands yellow with no other source.
- Keep every working slot one color at a time: never pour a second color onto the parked pink at M5 or the parked green, orange or purple lanes from steps 4 and 5, because those are the only lanes that absorb the messy tail-end pours off T1, T2 and T3.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier, thirteen-position board built around three wooden box vaults — one wide red-padlock box on the top row that covers roughly three slots and hides three tall bottles behind a curtain of vertical wooden slats, and two smaller single-slot boxes on the bottom row (yellow padlock on B1, blue padlock on B2). The middle row is five regular open mixers: M1 = brown-over-red (red on top), M2 = green-over-pink (pink on top), M3 = yellow-over-red (yellow on top), M4 = orange-over-purple (orange on top), and M5 = a small pink near-empty carrying one pink layer. The bottom row is the two small wooden boxes at B1 and B2 plus three short starter bottles at B3, B4 and B5: B3 = red-over-yellow (red on top, two layers), B4 = a dark near-empty with no visible color, and B5 = cyan-over-dark (cyan on top, two layers, with a small red cap on the lip). There are no corks, wraps, frozen seals, spray-paint cans or magic bottles on this board — the only obstacles are the three padlocked wooden boxes. The starting empty count is essentially one (B4), with M5 acting as a single-color pink shuttle, and the most visually dominant feature is the wide red-padlock box that fills the top tier and hides three full bottles behind it.
- Goal
- Crack all three wooden boxes with their padlock colors, free the three hidden top-tier bottles plus whatever the two small bottom boxes release, and route every mixer top-first into single-color lanes. The chokepoint is the blue padlock on B2 — blue never appears on the visible top of any middle-row mixer or starter bottle, so the only path to blue is through the wide top red box. The first unlock is therefore the red padlock (pour red from M1 or M3 onto the top box), the second unlock is the blue padlock (use the blue exposed on the T2 bottle the moment the top box cracks), and the third unlock is the yellow padlock (pour yellow from M3 onto B1). Once all three boxes are open, the five middle mixers plus the three revealed top bottles plus whatever the two small bottom boxes disgorge form the full sort.
- Opening
- Pour the red top off M1 (brown-over-red) onto the wide red-padlock box at the top — the box cracks, the wooden frame splits, and three tall bottles drop into the top tier: T1 with a small red cap covering pink-over-red-over-orange-over-red-over-blue (five layers), T2 with a small yellow cap covering blue-over-orange-over-yellow (four layers), and T3 with a small red cap covering red-over-red-over-dark-over-cyan (five layers). The wide box slot becomes a clean three-position working space. Pour the blue top of T2 onto the blue-padlock wooden box at B2 — the small box cracks and releases its hidden color onto the B2 slot, giving you a second new working bottle. Pour the yellow top off M3 (yellow-over-red) onto the yellow-padlock wooden box at B1 — the second small box cracks and releases its hidden color onto the B1 slot, so the bottom row now has two fresh released bottles plus the original B3, B4 and B5 starter cluster.
- Danger Zone
- The blue padlock on B2 is the trap. Pour any non-blue color onto B2 and the box stays locked, but the bigger cost is that you have spent a working segment on a box that only accepts blue, and blue lives in exactly one place (the T2 top) the moment the wide top box cracks. The M3 yellow-over-red mixer is the second trap — pour red off M3 first and you strand yellow with no other source, because yellow also lives in the wide top box contents and in M3's top only. The third trap is the two revealed top-tier bottles with red caps at T1 and T3 — those red caps are color segments, not corks, so they can be poured straight off the moment the box cracks, but pouring one into a wrong home buries the matching red lane that the wide box itself just released.
- Mechanics
- A three-tier, thirteen-position three-box vault release — one wide red-padlock box on top that hides three full bottles and gates blue, plus two single-slot yellow and blue padlock boxes on the bottom row that hide one bottle each. The chokepoint is key-color routing: red is the only color that can crack the top box, blue is the only color that can crack B2, yellow is the only color that can crack B1, and the wide top box must crack first because it is the only source of blue. Everything else is standard top-segment sort: peel the five middle mixers top-first, route the three revealed top bottles through the freed top-row slots, dock the two small bottom-box releases onto their matching lanes, and top off red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, cyan and brown each into a single bottle so the board closes on nine full single-color lanes plus the B4 dark near-empty as the leftover empty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the first pour in Magic Sort Level 389?
Pour the red top off the M1 brown-over-red mixer onto the wide red-padlock wooden box on the top tier. The box cracks, the wooden frame splits, and three tall bottles drop into the top row: T1 (pink-red-orange-red-blue), T2 (blue-orange-yellow) and T3 (red-red-dark-cyan). This is the only path to blue, which is the key for the B2 blue-padlock box, so cracking the wide red box has to be the very first move.
Why does the B2 blue-padlock wooden box have to be cracked second in Level 389?
Blue never appears on the visible top of any middle-row mixer or starter bottle, so the only way to reach blue is through the wide red-padlock box at the top. Pour the red top off M1 onto the wide box first, then the very next moment the T2 top turns blue, and that blue is the only key the B2 blue-padlock box accepts. Crack B2 second so the released bottle lands on a clean B2 slot before you start peeling the rest of the middle mixers.
How many bottles are hidden behind the wide red-padlock wooden box on the top tier?
Three tall bottles are hidden behind the wide red-padlock box: T1 with a small red cap covering pink-over-red-over-orange-over-red-over-blue (five layers), T2 with a small yellow cap covering blue-over-orange-over-yellow (four layers), and T3 with a small red cap covering red-over-red-over-dark-over-cyan (five layers). All three become regular working sort bottles the moment the wide box cracks — the small caps on top are just color segments, not corks, so they can be poured straight off T1, T2 and T3 into matching lanes.