[MM130] Water, Wood, Fire

Water, Wood, Fire is a puzzle in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.

Puzzle

The cards in this tournament beat each other as follows: fire > wood > water > fire. Four players each draw four cards, which they have to play in order going from top to bottom. Both players in a match play one card. Whoever wins moves on to the final, but if it's a draw, the next cards are played. Used cards are discarded.

At the end of the tournament, one player announces, "I'd have won if I'd been allowed to swap wood for water and water for wood!" Who said this?

Hints

Click a Tab to reveal the Hint.

There's only one player who would have no reason whatsoever to be unhappy with the cards they drew: the winner.

If you work out who the winner was, you can rule them out right away.

Here's how you work out the actual winner:
A versus B
- A (water), B (water) = draw
- A (wood), B (fire) = B wins
C versus D
- C (wood), D (water) = C wins
B versus C (final)
- B (water), C (water) = draw
- B (fire), C (wood) = B wins
B is the winner overall.

B is the winner, so the one complaining is A, C, or D. What if A had been allowed to swap wood for water and water for wood?
A versus B
- A (wood), B (water) = A wins
A versus C (final)
- A (water), C (water) = draw
- A (wood), C (wood) = draw
- A (fire), C (water) = C wins
A would have lost even if he had swapped his cards, so A isn't the sore loser.

The one who complained must be either C or D. What if C had been allowed to swap her cards?
C versus D
- C (water), D (water) = draw
- C (wood), D (wood) = draw
- C (water), D (wood) = C wins
B versus C (final)
- B (water), C (wood) = C wins
In this scenario, C wins. Hold on--didn't B beat C in the actual game?

Solution

Incorrect

Too bad.

You know from the diagram that in the first round, A plays B and C plays D.

Correct

Correct!

It was C who was lamenting her bad luck. If she'd had a few more draws, she would have won!

A big thanks to http://www.youtube.com/user/LaytonKyouju

v · d · ePuzzles in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

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Puzzle

Hints

Solution

Incorrect

Correct