Phistomefel Breaks Our Brains

*** TODAY'S PUZZLE *** Simon has returned from his brief vacation in Portugal to find a new puzzle by Phistomefel! It's called Copycat Confusion and, as you might expect, it is a work of genius. Some of the discoveries you have to make to solve it are really mind-bending. This is a sudoku for connoisseurs! Play the puzzle at the link below: https://sudokupad.app/hrsnhhdbno Rules: Normal sudoku rules apply. Divide the four lines in the grid into two pairs. The lines in a pair are copycats of each other, i.e. they have the same composition of digits. E.g. if one line has two 3s, five 4s and a 9, then the other one also has two 3s, five 4s and a 9. The order of the digits is not necessarily the same on the two lines. The two lines in the grid with a circle on one end are an average arrow and a thermometer. The two lines without a circle are a region sum line and a german whispers line. The solver has to deduce which line obeys which rule. Average Arrow: The digit in the circle is the average (exact, not rounded) of the digits on the line. Thermometer: The digits have to increase along the thermometer, starting from its bulb. Region Sum Line: The line is cut into multiple segments by the box borders, each summing to the same number. German Whisper: Two neighboring digits have a difference of 5 or more. Thanks to all of you who have helped us achieve the milestone of 600,000 subscribers on YouTube. Below you can find a link to a free puzzle pack we have curated to celebrate :) https://www.patreon.com/posts/ctc-600k-pack-106717179 *** NEW SUDOKU HUNT BY Scojojobo JUST RELEASED *** We've launched a brand new competition - a sudoku hunt by Scojo, Jojo and JoBo featuring lots of sudokus with loose connections to clones! Check it out for as little as $2/month here: https://www.patreon.com/crackingthecryptic There's also a new solve of Jay Dyer's brutal sudoku: Repeat Prescription Other treats on Patreon include: - The Lord Of The Rings Sudoku Hunt by Blobz (and Simon's solve videos) - Simon's solve of Sky-Skyscraper by Phistomefel has just been uploaded for our patrons. - Mark's latest solve of The Times Club Monthly cryptic crossword - Mark's latest series of solves of Connections, the daily New York Times puzzle based on the Only Connect wall game. *** BRAID STREAM *** You can watch our recent stream at this link: https://youtube.com/live/WcqUhQkwUSY ▶ SUDOKU PAD - Use Our Software For Your Puzzles ◀ You can input classic sudoku puzzles into our software and help support Sven, the programmer responsible for the wonderful user interface we all use to play these puzzles everyday. The app also comes with 12 handmade puzzles from us: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/svens-sudokupad/id1570622073 Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1706870/Svens_SudokuPad/ Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.svencodes.sudokupad ALSO on Amazon: Search for “SudokuPad” ▶ Contents Of This Video ◀ 0:00 Theme music and puzzle intro 1:32 Public Service Announcement re car hire companies! 2:48 New Patreon competition incoming 3:46 Happy birthdays etc 7:05 Rules 12:23 Start of Solve: Let's Get Cracking ▶ Contact Us ◀ Twitter: @Cracking The Cryptic email: [email protected] Our PO Box address: Simon Anthony & Mark Goodliffe Box 102 56 Gloucester Road London SW7 4UB (Please note to use our real names rather than 'Cracking The Cryptic'.) ************************************************************** ▶ CTC FAN DISCORD SERVER◀ https://discord.gg/BbN89j5 ▶ OUR BACK CATALOGUE – ALL CATEGORISED WITH LINKS!◀ https://tinyurl.com/CTCCatalogue ▶ *NEW* CRACKING THE CRYPTIC MERCHANDISE◀ https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/cracking-the-cryptic ▶SEND US PUZZLES TO SOLVE/CONTACT US◀ [email protected] ▶FOLLOW US◀ Twitter: @crypticcracking Instagram (for how to solve daily clues from The Times): https://www.instagram.com/crackingthecryptic/?hl=en We also post the Wordle In A Minute videos on TikTok.