Level 86 · Tianjin Jianbing

Tianjin Jianbing is level 86 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 47 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

572

Colors

9

Ant boxes

47

Mechanics

Ice · Mystery boxes · 2 noodle(s)

Play level 86

About the dish

Tianjin jianbing guozi: a thin crepe cooked with egg, brushed with sauce and scallions and folded around a crisp fried dough stick.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly light blue and blue, the middle band is mostly gold and orange, and the core is mostly gold and orange. 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 gold, light blue and blue.

13% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

2 noodle(s) run through the picture, 62 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 47 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), black (bites now), light blue (bites now) and blue (bites now).

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

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 47 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–14): 36% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 15–29): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 30–47): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

How hard is it?

Two test players attempted this level many times: a cautious one that only sends colors it can use right away cleared it 87% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the ending.

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.

Pressure comes in waves: the opening and the ending are tight, the middle is a breather. Use the middle to clear slots and bring chained or locked boxes to the front.

Ice blocks take two bites, so one block uses two ants. Icy areas are eaten slowly and the matching boxes stay in their slots a little longer.

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.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Ice blocks · Noodles · 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 86 questions