Liquid Sort: Strategy to Climb Levels with Less Undo

Liquid Sort (also known as Water Sort or Color Sort) is a planning puzzle. The premise is simple: sort colors so each tube contains only one color. On GameJoc, the record tracks how far you climb, and undo exists to correct a bad step without restarting the whole run.

Golden Rule: Read the Board Before Moving

Before making any move, identify how many tubes share the same color on top. If two tubes share a color at the top, one can pour into the other. That is always the first priority.

The Auxiliary Tube Technique

Empty tubes are your most powerful tool. Don't fill them with the first available color. Use them as "temporary storage" to unblock a color trapped under another. An empty tube used strategically can unlock 3 or 4 chain moves.

Prioritize Colors with the Most Stacked Layers

If you have a tube with 3 layers of the same color stacked and another tube with free space of the same color, that move is a priority. Grouping same-color layers into as few tubes as possible drastically reduces puzzle complexity.

The Classic Mistake: Pouring Without Thinking

The most common failure is pouring a color onto another "because it fits." If the target color isn't on the top layer of the destination tube, the mix creates a future blockage. Only pour when the top-layer colors match exactly.

When to Use Undo

Use undo when a move covered a layer you needed to free, not as a substitute for planning. If no empty tubes are available, your immediate goal should be clearing one tube completely before continuing to stack compatible colors.