Detailed steps, unique tips, and video context for Match Factory Level 12173. Source video: Match Factory lvl 13559 take 2 #MatchFactory #WinnerWinner.
1Quick Steps
- 1.Level 12173 requires a sharp eye and good timing to clear every item on the board.
- 2.Map out the entire board mentally before making your first move.
- 3.Work systematically from one side of the board to the other to avoid missing matches.
- 4.Look for items that only appear twice - they form an easy guaranteed match.
- 5.Clear the edges of the board first to simplify the remaining layout.
- 6.After using a booster, immediately capitalize on the new board state.
Still stuck?
Try a different opening sequence, focus on tray space, or consider boosters.
!Pro Tips
- •Watch multiple walkthrough videos to compare different strategies before attempting.
- •Master levels are designed to push even veteran players - persistence is key.
Running out of time on Swagbucks or Freecash?
Discover the Zero-Spend Speedrun System. Hit Level 5000+ before your deadline without wasting real money or getting stuck on hard levels.
Unlock Strategy→Complete strategy guide — level 12173
Match Factory Level 12173 represents a classic endgame-tier challenge: plenty of items on the board, but tight tray space and hidden dependencies that punish random clicking. This guide covers the opening strategy, mid-game tray management, and the specific moves players most often get wrong on this level.
Level 12173 in Context
At Level 12173 the margin for error is thin enough that a single careless pick-up can decide the run. The good news is that the same principles still work — excavation, tray economy, and sequencing — they simply have to be applied without the slack earlier levels provided.
What Makes Level 12173 Distinct
Level 12173 ships with 6 walkthrough steps and 2 pro tips — about 102 words of board-specific guidance. Reading those first is worth more than any general advice, because they describe this exact pile rather than Match Factory in general.
Everything below is written for the board as it stands at the start of a run. If the pile settles differently for you, keep the principles and adjust the specifics.
What Level 12173 Tests
- Rim control on Level 12173 — Outer pieces are the ones you can see but usually should not take first. Use them as a reserve so that when the tray needs a quick completion you already know where the third copy sits.
- Booster timing on Level 12173 — Boosters are a resource trade: they convert coins into board state. The step mentions them because this level has at least one configuration where that trade is clearly worth it — not because you should open with one.
How to Start: The Opening Phase
Level 12173 has a specific opening sequence that experienced players learn through trial and error. The key insight is that the first wave of visible items is a decoy — the "real" level hides under the surface pile.
In the opening, prioritize any clicks that reveal hidden items over clicks that just pick up already-visible ones. On most Match Factory boards, this means clicking items from the center-bottom of the pile rather than the outer ring, since central items are usually resting on top of others.
Spend your first 5 clicks purely on "excavation" — revealing buried items. Then take stock of what you can see and plan your first complete match. This two-phase opening (excavate, then match) consistently outperforms random clicking or greedy item collection from the start.
Tray Management: The Core Skill
The tray in Match Factory holds seven items, and on Level 12173, eight wrong clicks in a row will end your run. The board design deliberately creates situations where items from 4–5 different types are visible but none have a full trio accessible — this is the trap.
Surviving this trap means maintaining tray "breathing room." Always try to keep 2–3 open slots. If your tray is at 5 items, stop picking up new types and focus entirely on completing existing partial matches. This might mean clicking items that seem less exciting (like completing a boring coin match) instead of going after the animated special items — but completing that boring match keeps you alive.
On Level 12173 specifically, watch for the moment around the mid-game when the center pile shifts. Items that were blocked early become accessible, and the temptation to grab everything at once is strongest right here. Stay disciplined.
Mid-Game Strategy
The mid-game phase on Level 12173 is when you need to shift from reactive clicking to proactive planning. You've probably got a rough sense of the board layout by now — use that knowledge.
The key mid-game skill is "look-ahead" — instead of clicking the next obvious match, trace 2–3 moves into the future. "If I pick up this yellow star now, what opens up? Can I complete the yellow star match in the next 2 clicks? What does that expose?" Players who think one move at a time in the mid-game almost always find themselves in trouble by the final third of the level.
Also watch for "dead end" item types — items where you can only see 1 copy and there's no way to know where the other two are. Avoid picking these up until you can see all three. Holding a dead-end item in your tray for 8+ moves while hunting for its partners is a classic trap on Level 12173.
Step-by-Step Analysis (6 phases)
- The final step is a cleanup instruction: "Level 12173 requires a sharp eye and good timing…" Planning clicks in advance is not slow play — on a board with this much hidden information it is the only way to avoid spending slots on items you cannot finish.
- The opening step sets the tone: "Map out the entire board mentally before making your…" Prioritising is the whole skill here: rank the visible item types by how close they are to a trio, then work that list top-down instead of clicking whatever catches your eye.
- Step 3 is the one most players skip: "Work systematically from one side of the board to…" Planning clicks in advance is not slow play — on a board with this much hidden information it is the only way to avoid spending slots on items you cannot finish.
- A later step worth reading carefully: "Look for items that only appear twice - they…" Planning clicks in advance is not slow play — on a board with this much hidden information it is the only way to avoid spending slots on items you cannot finish.
- The mid-phase step is the pivot of the run: "Clear the edges of the board first to simplify…" The rim of the board is an information resource. Reading it tells you which item types are plentiful, and that read is what should decide your first committed match.
- The second phase narrows the board: "After using a booster, immediately capitalize on the new…" Used well, a booster fixes a specific problem: a jammed pile, a bar about to overflow, or one missing copy. Used as a panic button on a full bar, it fixes nothing.
Booster Strategy
Without a stored difficulty rating for Level 12173, plan the run around what you can observe: how many item types are visible, how deeply the pile is layered, and how quickly your tray fills. Those three readings tell you more about booster need on Level 12173 than any label would.
Practical order of operations for Level 12173: play it clean first, note the exact moment the run goes wrong, then pick the booster that addresses that moment. Blocked access early is a Fan problem. A missing third copy late is a Magnet problem. A single bad click that snowballed is an Undo problem.
Do not stack boosters on one attempt at Level 12173 unless you are close to finishing an event or Swagbucks objective where the coins pay for themselves. On a normal run, one well-timed booster beats three desperate ones, and the coins you save cover several future attempts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Neglecting to use the Undo button after a clear tray mistake. One Undo used immediately can save an entire run.
- Refusing to use boosters at all because of coin conservation — sometimes one well-timed Fan booster saves three future attempts.
- Using a Fan booster when the tray is already 5+ items full — the reshuffled board can't be exploited with no tray room.
- Ignoring the center pile in favor of outer-edge items, which are easier to click but often block access to the most important pieces.
Pro Tips Explained
The 2 pro tips above come from the failure patterns that show up repeatedly on Level 12173. Taken together they point at one theme — rim control — which is the skill this particular board is really testing. Read them as a checklist before your next attempt rather than as background reading.
Frequently asked questions
How many steps does it take to clear Level 12173?
The walkthrough for Level 12173 is broken into 6 phases, backed by 2 pro tips and roughly 102 words of board-specific guidance. An efficient clear generally lands somewhere in the 20–35 move range depending on how the pile settles, and runs that stretch well past that usually indicate a clogged tray rather than bad luck.
What's the fastest way to beat Level 12173 without watching a video?
The fastest text-only approach for Level 12173: spend the first eight clicks excavating rather than matching, identify the two or three item types you can see the most of, complete those trios in full before touching anything else, then let the physics settle and reassess. This disciplined loop clears most Match Factory boards without a video guide.
Does the item layout change every time I play Level 12173?
Match Factory uses seeded layouts with minor randomization between attempts. The overall board structure — which item types appear and roughly how many of each — stays the same, but the exact position of buried pieces can shift. That is why a strategy that "almost worked" last time is usually worth retrying rather than abandoning.
With this guide in hand, you have everything you need to tackle Level 12173 systematically. The strategies covered here — opening excavation, tray discipline, mid-game sequencing, and smart booster timing — aren't just for this level. They're the foundational skills that will carry you through everything ahead in Match Factory. Apply them consistently and the wins will follow.
Keep going
Related Levels
Nearby & NormalDownload Match Factory
Play the official game. We provide the guides, they provide the fun.
Player Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share!