Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 396 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 396 is a three-tier, fifteen-slot all-corks release-and-route board with five small corked bottles in the top row T1-T5 and three tall 7-layer corked bottles in the bottom row B1, B3 and B5, plus two small mixers in the bottom row (B2 pink-orange-pink, B4 orange-pink), three mixers in the middle row (M1 blue-purple, M2 orange-green-blue, M3 green-blue) and two small singles in the middle row (M4 red, M5 orange). Pop the five top-row corks first with matching caps, then route the M1 / M2 / M3 / B2 / B4 mixers top-first into the freed top-row lanes, feed the 7-layer bottom corks the matching colors one segment at a time (green into B1, cyan into B3, yellow into B5) so the numeric counter on each cork ticks down to zero and the hidden single drops into the slot, and end on eight full single-color lanes (three red, two green, one blue, one cyan, one yellow) plus the emptied mixers as scratch space.
If the player asks you to sign in, open the video on YouTube instead.
How to Solve Magic Sort Level 396 — Full Solution
- Pop the first top cork by pouring M4's red onto T1's red cap so the wrap falls away and the dark red single is revealed, then pop T5 by pouring M5's orange onto T5's red cap so the cap breaks and the blue underneath is exposed.
- Pour M1's exposed blue top onto T5's newly-exposed blue to fill the blue lane, then pop T2 by pouring any spare blue onto T2's red cap, pop T3 by pouring M3's green top onto T3's green cap, and pop T4 by pouring M1's now-exposed purple onto T4's red cap.
- With all five top corks popped, use T1, T2 and T4 as red buffers, T3 as the green buffer and T5 as the blue buffer, then drain the M2 orange-green-blue mixer top-first: pour the orange onto M5's orange to bank a second orange, then pour the green onto T3's parked green, then pour the blue onto T5's parked blue.
- Drain the M1 blue-purple two-segment mixer next: pour M1's blue top onto T5's parked blue, then pour M1's now-exposed purple onto T1 (or any top-row buffer that already holds red) so purple sits on a known stack.
- Drain the M3 green-blue two-segment mixer top-first: pour M3's green onto T3's parked green, then pour M3's exposed blue onto T5's parked blue so M3 collapses into a working empty.
- Feed the three 7-layer bottom corks one segment at a time: pour a green segment onto B1's cap to tick the '7' counter down to 6, then a cyan segment onto B3's cap, then a yellow segment onto B5's cap; keep feeding each cork in turn until the counter on each one reads zero and the wrap falls away to reveal the hidden single-color lane.
- Drain the B2 pink-orange-pink three-segment mixer top-first: pour the top pink onto a parked top-row buffer, pour the orange onto the parked orange, then pour the second pink onto the same top-row buffer that already holds pink, and walk the buffer onto a popped B-cork.
- Drain the B4 orange-pink two-segment mixer top-first: pour B4's orange onto the parked orange, pour B4's exposed pink onto the parked pink lane from step 7, then top off red, green, blue, purple, orange, pink, cyan and yellow so every bottle ends on a single color.
Colors in this level:
Red, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, Pink, Cyan, Yellow
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring a non-matching color onto any small top-row cork, which still pops the cap but lands the wrong color on top of the revealed single and strands the lane until an extra pour clears it.
- Feeding the 7-layer bottom corks the wrong color (red or orange into B1, B3 or B5), which ticks the counter down but buries a wrong color on top of the hidden single and forces an extra pour to clear before the lane can serve as a destination.
- Draining the M1 blue-purple mixer before B1, B3 and B5 are open, which strands purple with no home since purple is only alive on M1 until the B-corks free up a purple slot.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 396 (spoiler-free)
- Pop the five top-row corks first with matching caps so the revealed singles land in working slots and you do not have to clear a wrong-color cap-pour off a lane.
- Feed the 7-layer bottom corks the matching color (green into B1, cyan into B3, yellow into B5) one segment at a time so the numeric counter ticks down to zero and the cork pops with the right hidden single underneath.
- Park purple on a top-row red buffer (T1 works) before draining the M1 blue-purple mixer, since purple has no other home until the B-corks free up a purple slot.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- A three-tier, fifteen-slot cork-pop board. The top row is five small corked bottles T1-T5 — T1 dark red, T2 red, T3 green, T4 red, T5 red over blue — each wearing a red cap and a white frilly wrap that hides the cork. The middle row is five regular bottles: M1 a blue-purple two-segment mixer, M2 a short orange-green-blue three-segment mixer, M3 a short green-blue two-segment mixer, M4 a small red single, and M5 a small orange single. The bottom row alternates: B1 a tall 7-layer corked bottle (white frilly wrap, red cap, '7' counter visible on the wrap), B2 a small pink-orange-pink three-segment mixer, B3 a tall 7-layer corked bottle (matches B1), B4 a small orange-pink two-segment mixer, and B5 a tall 7-layer corked bottle (matches B1 and B3). There are no wooden boxes, magic bottles, wraps, frozen tiles or paint cans on the board — every special tile is a corked bottle. The most visually dominant feature is the bottom-row trio of tall 7-layer corked bottles, and the second most dominant feature is the unbroken strip of five small corked bottles in the top row.
- Goal
- Pop all eight corked bottles to reveal the eight hidden single-color lanes (red in T1, T2 and T4, green in T3, blue in T5, green in B1, cyan in B3 and yellow in B5), drain every mixer top-first into those revealed lanes, and end on eight full single-color lanes plus the cleared mixers as scratch space. The chokepoint is the bottom-row 7-layer corks: each tall cork carries a numeric counter (B1, B3 and B5 all read '7' with a small lock glyph) that decrements by one every time a matching-color pour lands on the cap, and the cork pops the moment the counter reaches zero — so the player has to feed seven segments of the right color into each of B1, B3 and B5 in turn before the run can collapse the rest of the mixers. The second chokepoint is the M1 blue-purple two-segment mixer: its purple tail has no home until the B1 / B3 / B5 corks are open and a purple slot exists, so purple has to be parked on a small top-row buffer first.
- Opening
- Start at the top row. Pour M4's single red onto T1's red cap to pop the cork and reveal the dark red single underneath, then pour M5's single orange onto T5's exposed red cap (the cap accepts any pour) to pop T5 and expose the blue underneath — T5 becomes a working blue buffer. Pour M1's exposed blue top onto T5's now-blue buffer so the blue single fills, then pop T2 by pouring the newly-arrived blue (or any spare blue) onto T2's red cap, pop T3 by pouring the green segment out of M3 onto T3's green cap, and pop T4 by pouring the now-exposed purple from M1 onto T4's red cap. With all five top corks popped, the top row becomes five fresh single-color lanes (three red, one green, one blue) and the middle row mixers become the next scratch layer.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring a non-matching color onto any small top-row cork still breaks the cork (the cap pops on any pour) but lands the wrong color on top of the revealed single, which has to be cleared off before the lane can serve as a destination — so always match the cap color when popping a top cork, or at least park the wrong color on a buffer that already holds the same color. The second trap is feeding the 7-layer bottom corks the wrong color: B1 reads green when it pops, B3 reads cyan, and B5 reads yellow, so pouring red or orange into a 7-layer cork still ticks the counter down but buries a wrong color on top of the hidden single that has to be cleared off later, which strands a buffer mid-run. The third trap is draining the M1 blue-purple mixer before B1, B3 and B5 are open: purple is only alive on M1, so the player has to route purple into a parked top-row buffer first, then wait for the B-corks to free up before purple has a home.
- Mechanics
- A three-tier, fifteen-slot all-corks release-and-route board with no boxes, magic bottles, wraps, frozen tiles or paint cans. The only special tile is the corked bottle, and it comes in two flavors: five small one-or-two-segment corked bottles in the top row (T1-T5) that pop the moment any matching-color pour lands on the cap, and three tall 7-layer corked bottles in the bottom row (B1, B3, B5) that carry a numeric '7' counter on the wrap and only pop after seven matching-color pours have landed on the cap. The hidden singles inside the corks are the destination lanes: T1 / T2 / T4 = red, T3 = green, T5 = blue, B1 = green, B3 = cyan, B5 = yellow. The chokepoint is cork-pop discipline plus mixer-drain order: pop the five top-row corks first with matching caps, then route the M1 / M2 / M3 / B2 / B4 mixers top-first into the freed top-row lanes, feed the 7-layer corks the matching colors one segment at a time, and end on eight full single-color lanes plus the emptied mixers as scratch space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the first pour in Magic Sort Level 396?
Pour M4's red onto T1's red cap to pop the first top-row cork so the wrap falls away and the dark red single is revealed, then pour M5's orange onto T5's red cap to pop the second cork and expose the blue underneath. The five top-row corks have to be popped with matching caps first, so always lead with M4's red on T1 and M5's orange on T5 before any non-matching color is poured onto a cap.
How do the three tall 7-layer corked bottles work in Magic Sort Level 396?
Each of B1, B3 and B5 is a tall 7-layer corked bottle wearing a white frilly wrap and a red cap, with a numeric '7' counter stamped on the wrap. Every matching-color pour that lands on the cap ticks the counter down by one, and the moment the counter reaches zero the cork pops and the hidden single-color bottle (green in B1, cyan in B3, yellow in B5) drops into the slot. The cork pops regardless of the color poured, but a wrong-color pour buries that color on top of the hidden single and costs an extra pour to clear before the lane can serve as a destination, so feed each 7-layer cork its matching color (green for B1, cyan for B3, yellow for B5) one segment at a time.
Why pop the five top-row corks before draining the M1 blue-purple mixer in Level 396?
Purple only lives on the M1 blue-purple mixer until the B1, B3 and B5 7-layer corks are open, so if the player drains M1 first there is no home for purple and the rest of the run stalls. Pop the five top-row corks first to free up red, green and blue buffers, park purple on a top-row red buffer (T1 works), and only then drain the M1 mixer top-first so purple has a known stack to land on while the B-corks fill up.