Magic Sort level guide
Magic Sort Level 397 Walkthrough
Magic Sort Level 397 is a two-tier, nine-position box-and-vault board with two wooden boxes in the middle row (M1 golden-key, M4 red-padlock), one off-board caged-creature vault below the middle row, one small purple key carrier on M3, one starting empty on T3, and five mixers (T1 purple-pink-red, T2 light-blue-red-green, T4 dark-purple-green-yellow, T5 dark-red-orange, M2 pink-light-blue). Pour M3's single purple into M4 first to crack the right wooden box, crack M1 with a key color from the top row next, then crack the caged creature with its matching key so the two bonus bottles (one orange full and one red-yellow-blue three-segment) drop into the B1 and B2 slots. Peel T1, T2, T4, T5 and M2 top-first through the freed T3, M3, M4 and B1/B2 working empties, keep every working empty single-color, and top off the nine colors (red, pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, cyan, brown) so the board ends with nine full single-color lanes plus one leftover empty.
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How to Solve Magic Sort Level 397 — Full Solution
- Pour M3's single purple into the M4 red-padlock wooden box to crack it open — the box releases a pre-stacked red-loaded bottle into the M4 slot and M3 becomes a clean working empty.
- Pour a key color from T1 (or T5) onto the M1 golden-key wooden box to crack it open, then pour the matching key color onto the caged creature below the middle row so the cage breaks and the two bonus bottles (one orange full and one red-yellow-blue three-segment) drop into the B1 and B2 slots.
- Drain the T5 dark-red-orange two-segment mixer top-first: pour dark red onto a matching red destination, then pour orange onto a matching orange lane, so T5 collapses into a working empty.
- Drain the T2 light-blue-red-green three-segment mixer top-first: pour light blue onto a matching light-blue destination, then red onto the parked red lane, then green onto a matching green lane, so T2 collapses into a working empty.
- Drain the T4 dark-purple-green-yellow three-segment mixer top-first: pour dark purple onto a matching purple destination, then green onto the parked green lane from step 4, then yellow onto a matching yellow lane, so T4 collapses into a working empty.
- Drain the T1 purple-pink-red three-segment mixer top-first: pour purple onto the parked purple lane, then pink onto a matching pink destination (pink appears on T1 and M2, so this is the discipline step), then red onto the parked red lane, so T1 collapses into a working empty.
- Drain the M2 pink-light-blue two-segment mixer top-first: pour pink onto the parked pink lane from step 6, then light blue onto the parked light-blue lane from step 4, so M2 collapses into a working empty.
- Walk the B2 red-yellow-blue three-segment bonus bottle top-first onto parked red, yellow and blue lanes, then top off the nine colors (red, pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, cyan, brown) so the board ends with nine full single-color lanes plus one leftover empty.
Colors in this level:
Red, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Cyan, Brown
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pouring M3's single purple into anything other than the M4 red-padlock wooden box, which strands the M4 unlock because M3 is the only bottle on the board that already holds a free purple.
- Cracking the caged creature vault after the mixers are already drained, which leaves the B1 and B2 bonus slots empty when the longest mixers need a working receiver.
- Pouring a T1 top color into a buffer that already holds pink, which burns the only pink buffer and strands the rest of the sort because pink appears on both T1 and M2.
Quick Tips for Magic Sort Level 397 (spoiler-free)
- Pour M3's single purple into the M4 red-padlock wooden box first, since M3 is the only bottle on the board that already holds a free purple and the M4 padlock is the matching consumer.
- Crack the caged creature vault during the same opening wave as the two wooden boxes so the B1 and B2 bonus slots land in working positions before T1, T2 and T4 are peeled.
- Keep every working empty single-color after the box-and-vault wave closes — pink appears on T1 and M2, so a buffer that holds pink cannot also receive purple, red or light blue without a clear-out pour.
Board notes 5 details
- Layout
- Two tiers with nine main bottle positions, no corks, wraps, paint cans, frozen tiles or magic bottles. The only special tiles are two wooden boxes in the middle row (M1 carries a small golden key icon, M4 carries a red padlock) plus a small off-board caged-creature vault sitting directly below the middle row (a brown wooden cage holding a tiny pink creature, acting as a third wooden box that releases two bonus bottles when cracked). The top row is five elements — T1 = purple-pink-red three-segment mixer, T2 = light-blue-red-green three-segment mixer, T3 = empty flask, T4 = dark-purple-green-yellow three-segment mixer, and T5 = dark-red-orange two-segment mixer. The middle row is four elements — M1 = wooden box with a small golden key icon, M2 = pink-light-blue two-segment mixer, M3 = a small near-empty flask holding a single purple base (the only free purple on the board and the natural key for M4), and M4 = wooden box with a red padlock. The caged creature below the middle row is a small wooden vault framing a tiny pink creature with a brown strap across the front, sealed until a specific key color is poured onto it. There is no true starting empty other than T3 and the single-purple M3 buffer, and the most visually dominant starter is the T1 purple-pink-red three-segment mixer because it is the only top-row bottle that already holds pink, and pink has no other home until M1 cracks open.
- Goal
- Crack both wooden boxes (M1 with its key color and M4 with its purple key), free the off-board caged creature by pouring its key color onto the cage so the two bonus bottles drop into the B1 and B2 slots below the middle row, drain every mixer top-first, and top off the nine colors (red, pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, cyan, brown) so the board ends with nine full single-color lanes plus one leftover empty. The chokepoint is the box-and-vault opening wave: the M1 wooden box, the M4 wooden box and the caged creature vault all have to crack in one quick wave using tops that are already safely parked, because burning the only free purple (M3) on the wrong box strands the M4 unlock, and burning T3's empty on a mismatched box-pour strands the first home for a revealed color. The second chokepoint is the T1 purple-pink-red and M2 pink-light-blue mixers — pink appears on both, so a buffer that holds pink cannot also receive purple, red or light blue without a clear-out pour in between.
- Opening
- Start in the middle row. Pour M3's single purple into the M4 red-padlock wooden box to crack it open — the box releases a pre-stacked red-loaded bottle into the M4 slot and M3 becomes a clean working empty. Then pour a key color from T1 (or T5) onto the M1 golden-key wooden box to crack it open, and pour the right key color onto the caged creature below the middle row so the cage breaks and the two bonus bottles (one orange full and one red-yellow-blue three-segment) drop into the B1 and B2 slots. With M4 opened, M1 opened, and the caged creature freed, you have T3, the freed M3, the freed M4 slot, plus the B1 and B2 bonus slots, giving five working positions to peel the remaining mixers top-first.
- Danger Zone
- Pouring M3's single purple into anything other than the M4 red-padlock wooden box strands the M4 unlock, because M3 is the only bottle on the board that already holds a free purple and the M4 padlock is the matching consumer. The second trap is over-pouring the T1 purple-pink-red and M2 pink-light-blue mixers into a single buffer — pink appears on both, so a buffer that holds pink cannot also receive purple, red or light blue without a clear-out pour in between, and burning the only starting empty T3 on a mismatched box-pour before a matching lane exists strands the first home for a revealed color. The third trap is cracking the caged creature after the mixers are already drained: the creature unlocks the B1 and B2 bonus slots, and the player needs those bonus slots to receive the late-game tops from the longest mixers, so the creature has to crack during the opening wave before T1, T2, T4 and T5 are peeled.
- Mechanics
- A two-tier, nine-position box-and-vault board with no corks, wraps, paint cans, frozen tiles or magic bottles. The only special tiles are two wooden boxes in the middle row (M1 with a golden key icon, M4 with a red padlock) plus the off-board caged-creature vault that releases two bonus bottles into B1 and B2 when cracked. The chokepoint is box-and-vault opening wave plus pink-discipline: crack M4 with M3's purple first, crack M1 with a key color from the top row next, and crack the caged creature with its matching key so the two bonus slots land in working positions, then peel T1, T2, T4, T5 and M2 top-first through the freed T3, M3, M4 and B1/B2 working empties, keep every working empty single-color, and top off the nine colors (red, pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, cyan, brown) so the board ends with nine full single-color lanes plus one leftover empty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does M3's single purple have to land on the M4 red-padlock wooden box first in Magic Sort Level 397?
M3 is the only bottle on the board that already holds a free purple, and the M4 red-padlock wooden box is the matching consumer, so pouring M3's purple into M4 first is the cleanest way to crack M4 without spending a working empty on a different color. Pouring M3's purple into any other destination strands the M4 unlock because purple has no other home on the board, and the rest of the box-and-vault wave then stalls because the M4 padlock never breaks.
How does the off-board caged-creature vault work in Magic Sort Level 397?
The caged creature below the middle row is a small wooden vault framing a tiny pink creature with a brown strap across the front, sealed until a specific key color is poured onto the cage. When the matching key color lands on the cage, the cage breaks with confetti and two bonus bottles (one orange full and one red-yellow-blue three-segment) drop into the B1 and B2 slots below the middle row, expanding the play area from the original nine positions into eleven positions, and the player then has five working empties (T3, the freed M3, the freed M4 slot, plus the B1 and B2 bonus slots) to peel the remaining mixers top-first.
Why is the pink color the discipline step in Magic Sort Level 397?
Pink appears on two of the five mixers (T1 purple-pink-red and M2 pink-light-blue), so a buffer that holds pink cannot also receive purple, red or light blue without a clear-out pour in between. T1's pink top has to land on a matching pink destination before T1's purple and red bases are moved, and M2's pink top has to land on the same parked pink lane so the two pink halves merge into a single pink destination, or the run strands one of the two pink halves and the rest of the sort stalls.