Trivial Pursuit: More or Less

There are more expansions that start with the letter S by two.

There are nine expansions starting with S (Scourge, Stronghold, Scars of Mirrodin, Saviors of Kamigawa, Shadowmoor, Shards of Alara, Shadows over Innistrad, Strixhaven: School of Mages, and Streets of New Capenna) but only seven that start with M (Mirage, Mercadian Masques, Mirrodin, Morningtide, Mirrodin Besieged, March of the Machine, and Murders at Karlov Manor).

S is tied in first place, at nine, with A (Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Alliances, Apocalypse, Alara Reborn, Avacyn Restored, Amonkhet, Aether Revolt, and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms).

Third place, at eight, is D (The Dark, Darksteel, Dissension, Dark Ascension, Dominaria, Dominaria United, Dragon's Maze, and Dragons of Tarkir).

M is fourth place with seven (Mirage, Mercadian Masques, Mirrodin, Morningtide, Mirrodin Besieged, March of the Machine, and Murders at Karlov Manor).

Fifth place goes to T with six (Tempest, Torment, Time Spiral, Theros, Throne of Eldraine, and Theros Beyond Death).

There are no expansions that start with Q, X, or Y.

There are more Warlocks—41 more.

The Mercenary creature type first showed up in 1995 in the set Ice Age on the card Mercenaries.

It was then used as the base of an unnamed mechanic in the Mercadian Masques block where many Mercenaries could tutor for other Mercenaries with a mana value lower than their own, the inverse of the Rebels from the same set. It was then used very sporadically until Outlaws of Thunder Junction where it was both a new creature token and part of the Outlaw batch.

The Warlock creature type didn't appear until 2019 in the set Throne of Eldraine, 24 years after Mercenary premiered.

We wanted a creature type to represent magic users with a darker bend and finally introduced them in the set with a lot of witches. While it appeared many years later than Mercenary, it was a creature type we badly needed, and has been used many times in the five years of its existence, quickly passing Mercenary.

There are fewer unique Chandra cards by nine.

There are 28 planeswalkers with only one card, but only 19 unique Chandra planeswalker cards.

The unique planeswalkers are Aminatou, Bahamut, B.O.B. , Calix, Comet, Dack, Dakkon, Davriel, Ellywick, Elminster, Estrid, Freyalise, Guff, Jared, Lolth, Minsc, Mordenkainen, Niko, Quintorius, Serra, Sivitri, Szat, Tasha, Venser, Vronos, Windgrace, Xenagos, and Zariel.

Chandra's 19 cards are: Chandra Nalaar; Chandra Ablaze; Chandra the Firebrand; Chandra, Pyromaster; Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh // Chandra, Roaring Flame; Chandra, Flamecaller; Chandra, Torch of Defiance; Chandra, Pyrogenius; Chandra, Bold Pyromancer; Chandra, Fire Artisan; Chandra, Acolyte of Flame; Chandra, Awakened Inferno; Chandra, Novice Pyromancer; Chandra, Flame's Fury; Chandra, Heart of Fire; Chandra, Flame's Catalyst; Chandra, Dressed to Kill; Chandra; Chandra, Hope's Beacon; and Chandra, Legacy of Fire.

Chandra has the most planeswalker cards at 19. Number two is Jace with 15. Third is Ajani at 14. Liliana is fourth with 13. Nissa comes in fifth with 11.

There are more cards with the word "Mountain" by three.

There are eleven cards with exactly the word "Mountain" in their title (Madblind Mountain; Magnetic Mountain; Mountain; Mountain Bandit; Mountain Goat; Mountain Stronghold; Mountain Titan; Mountain Valley; Mountain Yeti; Snow-Covered Mountain; and Lady of the Mountain) but only eight cards with exactly "Island" in their title (Island; Island Fish Jasconius; Island of Wak-Wak; Island Sanctuary; Moonring Island; Snow-Covered Island; Tropical Island; and Volcanic Island).

It's interesting to note that seven of the eight cards with "Island" in their name and eight of the eleven cards with "Mountain" in their name appeared within the first two years of Magic's release.

There are fewer land subtypes by one.

Enchantments have eleven subtypes (Aura, Background, Cartouche, Case, Class, Curse, Role, Rune, Saga, Shard, and Shrine), while lands only have ten nonbasic land subtypes (Cave, Desert, Gate, Lair, Locus, Mine, Power-Plant, Sphere, Tower, and Urza's). Interestingly, four of the land subtypes come from a three-card cycle (Urza's Mine, Urza's Power Plant, and Urza's Tower—known as the Urzatron) from Magic's second expansion, Antiquities.

There have been more in the Seattle area by one.

Seattle has hosted seven World Championships, and Europe has only hosted six.

Seattle got an early lead holding the 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 World Championship in Seattle. 1995 was at a Red Lion Inn near the airport (Alexander Blumke from Switzerland won). The 1996 World Championship was held at the Wizards of the Coast offices in Renton (Tom Chanpheng from Australia won). The 1997 and 1998 World Championships were held in the University District by the University of Washington (Jakub Slemr from the Czech Republic and Brian Selden from the United States won, respectively).

Europe then caught up by hosting World Championships every three years for almost a decade. The 2000 World Championship was in Brussels, Belgium (Jon Finkel from the United States won). The 2003 World Championship was in Berlin, Germany (Daniel Zink from Germany won). The 2006 World Championship was in Paris, France (Makihito Mihara from Japan won). The 2009 World Championship was in Rome, Italy (Andre Coimba from Portugal won).

Seattle then pulled ahead in 2012, hosting what was referred to at the time as the Player's Championship (Yuuya Watanabe from Japan won). Europe then pulled ahead having back-to-back World Championship events, 2013 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and then 2014 in Nice, France (both won by Shahar Shenhar from Israel). Seattle would regain the lead and pull ahead by hosting back-to-back World Championships at the PAX West convention in 2015 and 2016 (won by Seth Manfield from the United States and Brian Braun-Duin from the United States, respectively).

There are fewer cards from Ixalan that create Treasure by seven.

Shadows over Innistrad had 25 cards that created Clue tokens (Briarbridge Patrol; Bygone Bishop; Byway Courier; Confirm Suspicious; Confront the Unknown; Daring Sleuth // Bearer of Overwhelming Truth; Declaration in Stone; Drownyard Explorers; Erdwal Illuminator; Expose Evil; Fleeting Memories; Gone Missing; Humble the Brute; Jace's Scrutiny; Magnifying Glass; Ongoing Investigations; Press for Answers; Root Out; Survive the Night; Tamiyo's Journal; Thraben Inspector; Tireless Tracker; Trail of Evidence; Ulvenwald Mysteries; and Weirding Wood), while Ixalan had 18 cards that created Treasure tokens (Captain Lannery Storm; Contract Killing; Deadeye Plunderer; Depths of Desire; Dire Fleet Hoarder; Heartless Pillage; Pirate's Prize; Prosperous Pirates; Prying Blade; Revel in Riches; Ruthless Knave; Sailor of Means; Spell Swindle; Treasure Map // Treasure Cove; Trove of Temptation; Vraska, Relic Seeker; Wanted Scoundrels; and Wily Goblin). Each was the first set to create this specific type of artifact token, and these were the first two sets to have a single artifact token play a larger mechanic role, showing up in number.

There are more sets on planes visited on March of the Machine battles by five.

There are 35 non-Dominarian planes visited on battles in March of the Machine (Alara, Amonkhet, Arcavios, Azgol, Belenon, Eldraine, Ergamon, Fiora, Gobakhan, Ikoria, Innistrad, Ixalan, Kaladesh, Kaldheim, Kamigawa, Karsusm, Kylem, Lorwyn, Mercadia, Moag, Muraganda, New Capenna, New Phyrexia, Pyrulea, Ravnica, Regatha, Segoviam Shandalar, Tarkir, Theros, Tolvada, Ulgrotha, Vryn, Xerex, and Zendikar) but only 30 expansions set at least partially on Dominaria (Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Alliances, Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight, Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus, Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny, Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse, Odyssey, Torment, Judgment, Onslaught, Legions, Scourge, Coldsnap, Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight, Dominaria, Dominaria United, and The Brothers' War).

Most of the first decade of Magic, the expansions were set on Dominaria. There were a few exceptions (Rabiah, Ulgrotha, and Mercadia), but mostly Magic didn't really explore the Multiverse. It was the Mirrodin block that began the regular trek outside of Dominaria, after which only a small handful of sets took place on Dominaria (The Time Spiral block, Dominaria, Dominaria United, and The Brothers' War).

There are more mono-black instants by 115.

There are currently 459 black instants, but only 344 white sorceries.

In sorceries, from most to least, the colors go in this order: black, red, green, blue, and white.

In instants, from most to least, the colors go in this order: blue, white, red, green, and black.

There are fewer variations of landwalk by five.

There are sixteen variations of affinity (affinity for artifacts, artifact creatures, Clowns, Daleks, Food, Equipment, Forests, historic permanents, Islands, Mountains, outlaws, Plains, planeswalkers, Swamps, and tokens) but only eleven landwalk variations (desert, forest, island, legendary land, mountain, nonbasic, plains, snow forest, snow land, snow swamp, swamp).

Landwalk showed up first in 1993 in Limited Edition (Alpha) when the game began. It had landwalk for all five of the basic lands except plains. Plainswalk wouldn't show up until Legends. Affinity first showed up ten years later in Mirrodin. It mostly had affinity for artifacts but did have a cycle of artifact creatures with affinity for the five basic land types.

There are more 12/12 creatures by four.

There are eleven 12/12s (Ancient Stone Idol; Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle; Emrakul, the World Anew; Ghalta and Marven; Ghalta, Primal Hunger; Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant; Hierophant Bio-Titan; Jokulmorder; Kozilek, Butcher of Truth; Kozilek, the Great Distortion; and Phyrexian Dreadnought) but only seven 11/11s (Blightsteel Colossus; Darksteel Colossus; Denizen of the Deep; Etali, Primal Sickness; It That Betrays; Polar Kraken; and Titanoth Rex).

An 11/11 appeared first on the card Polar Kraken in Ice Age. At the time, it was the largest creature in the game, topping The Dark's 10/10 Leviathan. Phyrexian Dreadnought from Mirage was designed (by me) for Mirage to be a 12/12 topping the 11/11 of Polar Kraken.

There are fewer transforming cards in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan by four.

Innistrad had twenty transforming double-faced cards (Bloodline Keeper // Lord of Lineage; Civilized Scholar // Homicidal Brute; Cloistered Youth // Unholy Fiend; Daybreak Ranger // Nightfall Predator; Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration; Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed; Gatstaf Shepherd // Gatstaf Howler; Grizzled Outcasts // Krallenhorde Wantons; Hanweir Watchkeep // Bane of Hanweir; Instigator Gang // Wildblood Pack; Kruin Outlaw // Terror of Kruin Pass; Ludevic's Test Subject // Ludevic's Abomination; Mayor of Avabruck // Howlpack Alpha; Reckless Waif // Merciless Predator; Screeching Bat // Stalking Vampire; Thraben Sentry // Thraben Militia; Tormented Pariah // Rampaging Werewolf; Ulvenwald Mystics // Ulvenwald Primordials; Village Ironsmith // Ironfang; and Villagers of Estwald // Howlpack of Estwald).

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan only had sixteen (Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead; Brass's Tunnel-Grinder // Tecutlan, the Searing Rift; Dowsing Device // Geode Grotto; Grasping Shadows // Shadow's Lair; Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun; Huatli, Poet of Unity // Roar of the Fifth People; Matzalantli, the Great Door // The Core; Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power; Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth // Temple of Cultivation; Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch // Temple of Cyclical Time; Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation // Temple of Civilization; Tarrian's Journal // The Tomb of Aclazotz; The Everflowing Well // The Myriad Pools; Thousand Moons Smithy // Barracks of the Thousand; Treasure Map // Treasure Cove; and Twists and Turns // Mycoid Maze).

Fewer planeswalkers attacked original Phyrexia by four.

There were thirteen characters with at least one legendary creature card that served as a member of the Weatherlight crew during the original Weatherlight Saga story (Crovax, Ertai, Gerrard, Hanna, Karn, Mirri, Multani, Orim, Rofellos, Sisay, Squee, Starke, and Tahngarth) but only nine planeswalkers, hence their name of the Nine Titans, that attacked original Phyrexia (Bo Levar, Commodore Guff, Daria, Freyalise, Kristina, Lord Windgrace, Taysir, Tevesh Szat, and Urza).

There are more From the Vault products by one.

There were ten From the Vault products (Dragons, Exiled, Relics, Legends, Realms, Twenty, Annihilation, Angels, Lore, and Transform) but only nine Planeswalker vs. Planeswalker Duel Deck products (Jace vs. Chandra, Garruk vs. Liliana, Elspeth vs. Tezzeret, Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas, Venser vs. Koth, Sorin vs. Tibalt, Jace vs. Vraska, Elspeth vs. Kiora, and Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis).

There are fewer legendary creatures in Outlaws of Thunder Junction by twelve.

Legends, Magic's third expansion, was the first set to have legendary permanents. The lands used a legendary supertype, but the creatures used Legend as a creature type. It wasn't until years later in Champions of Kamigawa (in which all the rare creatures were legendary) that the Legend creature type turned into a supertype.

Legends had 55 legendary creatures, 20 uncommons and 35 rares. Besides introducing the legendary supertype (and creature type, at the time), Legends also introduced multicolored cards, what we now refer to as traditional "gold" cards. All 55 of the legendary creatures were gold, and they were the only gold cards in the set.

In contrast to Legends's 55 legendary creatures, the main set of Outlaws of Thunder Junction only had 43.

There are fewer zones in the game by two.

There are ten steps in the game: the untap step, upkeep step, and draw step of the beginning phase, the beginning-of-combat step, declare-attackers step, declare-blockers step, combat-damage step, and end-of-combat step of the combat phase, and the end step and clean-up step of the ending phase. The two main phases don't have any steps. In contrast, there are only seven zones referenced on Eternal-legal cards (battlefield, command, exile, hand, graveyard, library, and stack), plus the card AWOL from Unhinged references an eighth zone, the absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone.

There are more cards with the title "Clockwork _______" by six.

There are fourteen cards with two words, the first word being "Clockwork" (Avian, Beast, Beetle, Condor, Dragon, Drawbridge, Droid, Fox, Gnomes, Hydra, Servant, Steed, Swarm, and Vorrac) but only eight cards with four-word titles, the first three words being "Circle of Protection" (Art, Artifacts, Black, Blue, Green, Red, Shadow, and White)

There are fewer Demons with a power of 6 by twenty.

The first Angel to appear in Magic was Serra Angel in Alpha which had a power of 4. The first Demon to appear in Magic was Yawgmoth Demon in Antiquities, which had a power of 6. (The number 6 is often associated with the Devil.) There have been 257 Angels printed, 74 of which had a power of 4. In contrast, there have only been 192 Demon cards printed, of which 54 have a power of 6. Interestingly, both average roughly the same percentage, around 28%.

There are fewer core sets by four.

Magic has had 25 blocks (Ice Age, Mirage, Tempest, Urza's Saga, Mercadian Masques, Invasion, Odyssey, Onslaught, Mirrodin, Champions of Kamigawa, Ravnica, Time Spiral, Lorwyn/Shadowmoor, Shards of Alara, Zendikar, Scars of Mirrodin, Innistrad, Return to Ravnica, Theros, Khans of Tarkir, Battle for Zendikar, Shadows over Innistrad, Kaladesh, Amonkhet, and Ixalan) but only 21 core sets (Limited Edition (Alpha), Limited Edition (Beta), Unlimited Edition, Revised Edition, Fourth Edition, Fifth Edition, Classic Sixth Edition, Seventh Edition, Eighth Edition, Ninth Edition, Tenth Edition, Magic 2010, Magic 2011, Magic 2012, Magic 2013, Magic 2014, Magic 2015, Magic Origins, Core Set 2019, Core Set 2020, and Core Set 2021). I did count Alpha and Beta as separate sets as they had different sale dates (and were technically not identical), but if you count them just as Limited Edition, then there are only twenty.

There are fewer Standard-legal expansions with at least one kicker card by four.

Cycling was originally designed by Richard Garfield for Tempest design. The set had too many mechanics, so it ended up being pushed to the following year's large set, Urza's Saga in 1998. In total, cycling, or a cycling variant, has appeared in seventeen Standard-legal expansions (Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny, Onslaught, Legions, Scourge, Future Sight, Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn, Amonkhet, Hour of Devastation, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, Streets of New Capenna, March of the Machine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and Murders at Karlov Manor).

Kicker first appeared in Invasion in 2000. It has been used in ten Standard-legal sets (Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse, Planar Chaos, Future Sight, Zendikar, Worldwake, Dominaria, Zendikar Rising, Dominaria United, and March of the Machine). There are many more mechanics that are kicker-like in structure but aren't technically the kicker mechanic.