On the Projects search page, choosing Magic or Most Viewed gives you the same order as Most Recent. The chip changes, the results do not change the way you would expect.
This is a real limitation rather than something wrong with your query.
Why it happens
Magic and Most Viewed are not orderings the search index can apply. Magic shuffles the browse feed so the same projects are not always on top, and Most Viewed ranks by visit count on the trending feed. Neither has an equivalent inside a text search, so the search page falls back to the newest matches first.
What each sort actually does
| Sort | On the browse feeds | On the search page |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | not offered | ranks by how well a project matches your words |
| Magic | varied order, changes between visits | falls back to Most Recent |
| Most Viewed | ranks by visits | falls back to Most Recent |
| Most Recent | newest first | newest first |
| Top Rated | highest rated first | highest rated first |
What to do instead
If you are searching for something specific, leave the sort on Relevance. That is the only setting that uses the search ranking, and it is the reason searching finds things that browsing does not.
If you want Magic or Most Viewed, clear the search box. The sorts work normally on the browse feeds at Projects.