Block Out Levels 1–20 Guide: How to Prevent Deadlocks

To clear levels 1 through 20 in Block Out without running out of valid moves, maintain at least one completely empty tube at all times to serve as a temporary buffer. Focus on moving exposed top-layer colors onto matching colors or into your empty container so you can reveal and organize deeper stacks.

Key Rules for Clearing Early Stages

Solving early puzzles relies on managing limited space while increasing the number of matching color sets.

Maintain a buffer tube: An empty container lets you temporarily park blocks to access trapped colors buried underneath.
Clear exposed top blocks first: Target colors that have the most visible blocks at the top of your tubes to quickly unseal lower layers.
Consolidate single colors: Try moving blocks in full sets of one color rather than scattering different colors across multiple containers.

Managing Color Stacks to Prevent Deadlocks

A deadlock happens when a color you need to move gets buried under a different color layer. To avoid creating unreachable blocks, follow these destination guidelines before tapping a block:

Destination Tube State	Recommended Action	Outcome
Empty Tube	Ideal temporary buffer	Frees up space to reorder trapped blocks underneath.
Matching Top Color	Preferred stack destination	Safely consolidates color sets without blocking future moves.
Different Top Color	Avoid unless immediate next move clears it	Creates a temporary obstacle that risks causing a deadlock.

Never place a block into a tube containing a different top color unless you intend to clear that top block in your next turn. Placing unmatched blocks on top of each other blocks deeper layers and reduces your total available moves.

Recognizing Bad Moves and Using Reset

Levels 1 to 20 introduce a scaling number of distinct colors and crowded containers. If you trap a required color beneath a different color stack and have no remaining empty tubes to shuffle blocks, the board state is deadlocked.

When a move eliminates your last empty buffer without completing a color set, use the reset function immediately. Restarting early saves time compared to attempting low-probability moves on a clogged board. Pausing to verify your destination tube before every tap significantly reduces the need for restarts as color variety increases toward level 20.