Level 437 · Mao Cai

Mao Cai is level 437 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 12 colors, the tray holds 91 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

All the way

Blocks

1292

Colors

12

Ant boxes

91

Mechanics

1 golden key(s) · Spider web (45 bites) · Number blocks · Mystery boxes

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 437

About the dish

Hot pot for one: pick your vegetables and meat from the fridge, they come back boiled in spicy broth with a bowl of rice.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly grey and dark brown, the middle band is mostly red and dark red, and the core is mostly red and tan. Ants can only reach the next layer once the one around it is gone, so the core colors are the last to become useful.

By block count the biggest colors are red, grey and dark brown.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

The spider web covers 30 cells in the middle band of the picture and needs 45 bites from soldier ants.

1 number block(s) take 36 bites in total.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 91 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: tan (has to wait), dark brown (bites now), grey (bites now) and red (has to wait).

Locked boxes start in column 4, row 8.

42 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

4 soldier box(es) carry the bites for the web.

How the verified run plays out

The solution further down was played to the end in the real game, with ants walking and real timing. It takes 91 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–37): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 38–64): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 65–91): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 12. The web breaks before tap 85.

Strategy

Check the colors of the first three boxes in each column and compare them with the colors exposed on the outer ring of the picture. Always keep one slot free to catch a color that can't be eaten yet.

Tight from start to finish. Only take boxes that can send ants immediately, watch the second and third rows of the tray, and plan the next tap ahead.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

Nothing under the spider web can be eaten. Wait until the edge of the web is exposed before sending the soldier box (the leafy green one), or it just occupies a slot.

Number blocks take many bites; the number is how many remain. They can be bitten as soon as any side is exposed, and several boxes of that color can work on one at once.

Mystery boxes show their color only when they reach the front. When you see one coming, don't fill every slot; leave room for it.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Locks and golden keys · Spider webs and soldier ants · Number blocks · Difficulty curves

Step-by-step solution

This order of taps is verified to clear the level. Columns are numbered 1–4 from the left; after each tap, wait until the ants are out before the next one. Two boxes shown together are a chained pair taken in one tap.

Level 437 questions