The mega-popular fantasy card game Magic: the Gathering has seen plenty of innovations in its time. Ever since 1993, Wizards of the Coast has been pioneering the trading card game genre with MtG, and some sets in the game are renowned for introducing game ideas that players now use all around the world. Innistrad gave us double-faced cards, Mirrodin pushed artifacts to new heights, and Theros introduced indestructible God creatures.

RELATED: Magic: the Gathering Devs Address the Power Level of Oko, Thief of Crowns

Meanwhile, there's been several blocks centered around multi-colored cards, but two, in particular, stand out: Khans of Tarkir, and Shards of Alara. Each of these popular blocks was built around five arrangements of three colors each. Shards of Alara came first, and explored the "shards" (a color and its two allies). Later, Khans of Tarkir was centered on the "wedges" (a color and its two enemies). Which block is superior, and why? We list 5 reasons for each block to find out.

10 Khans of Tarkir: major plot development

While it's true that the Shards of Alara block had plot elements such as Nicol Bolas' return and introducing Tezzeret and Ajani, the Khans of Tarkir block has a bigger impact on the lore. The plane of Tarkir is the adopted home of Ugin, brother of Nicol Bolas, and his death has massive consequences for the fight against the Eldrazi.

So, Sarkhan Vol went back 1,200 years in the past (in the Fate Reforged set) and prevented Ugin's death. Now, with this great dragon back in action, Tarkir's history is rewritten, and there is renewed hope in the battle against the Eldrazi. This led right into the next block, Battle for Zendikar.

9 Shards of Alara: Many Commander cards

Both of these blocks feature cool legendary creatures for the Commander format, and Khans of Tarkir brought us Narset, Enlightened Master. But Shards of Alara did more, introducing Sharuum the Hegemon, Sedris the Traitor King, Mayael the Anima (pictured), Kresh the Bloodbraided, and more.

These creatures are all shard-colored, so a deck built around them as three colors to use! A Naya deck is pushed over the top once Mayael is leading the charge.

8 Khans of Tarkir: cool Asian setting

Many blocks or sets in Magic: the Gathering are inspired by real-life civilizations or mythology, from the vikings to the Celts to China and the Aztecs. Khans of Tarkir is a broad Asian-inspired setting, and each major clan is unique.

RELATED: Magic: the Gathering - Most Busted Planeswalkers in Pioneer

The desert-dwelling Abzan are modeled after the ancient Turks of north-central Asia, the Jeskai are shaolin monks, the Sultai take after Cambodian pleasure palaces, the Mardu are clear analogs for the Mongol Empire, and finally, the Temur are influenced by Siberian natives such as the Yakutsk people. It makes for a diverse and flavorful setting that's not restricted to just one culture. It's central and northern Asia, Magic style!

7 Shards of Alara: cycling cards

While the Shards of Alara block did not innovate the Cycling mechanic, it did bring that mechanic back, and to terrific effect (years later, Amonkhet did the same). What's so great about that? Cycling is fine on its own, but many Cycling cards in the Shards of Alara block are massive green, red, or white creatures, such as Ridge Rannet and Monstrous Carabid.

This inspired an entire Modern deck: Living End! Using  Jund colors, this deck requires you to Cycle away many big creatures into the graveyard, then use a card with Cascade to cast the card Living End. This black spell kills off all creatures on the graveyard and brings back the dead. Now you have an army of huge creatures, ready to attack!

6 Khans of Tarkir: great mechanics

While Shards of Alara gave us Exalted and Unearth, the Khans of Tarkir block is packed with many mechanics, some of which have become beloved staples of the game. Pictured is Wingmate Roc, a white flying beater with Raid. How do you trigger Raid? Just attack!

RELATED: Magic: the Gathering Reveals Pioneer, A Brand New Constructed Format

It's a wonderful mechanic, and the Ixalan block brought it back with Grixis colors. Most flattering achievement of all? The Prowess mechanic, tied to the Jeskai clan. This mechanic worked so well, it became evergreen, meaning that all sets from now on can use it. Prowess joins the likes of flying, trample, vigilance, and deathtouch. Impressive!

5 Shards of Alara: first Nicol Bolas planeswalker

The character Nicol Bolas dates back to 1994's set Legends, and he appeared as a dragon in blue, black, and red. But he's also a planeswalker, and he had to wait until 2009's set Conflux (in the Shards of Alara block) to get his own planeswalker card.

Planeswalker card were pretty new at the time, and Nicol Bolas' own card was incredibly powerful and flexible. It also has the honor of being the first planeswalker card to appear in three colors! There have been a few more Nicol Bolas planeswalker since then, but this one made history, and it's right at home in the Shards of Alara block.

4 Khans of Tarkir: dragon tribal

Yes, Nicol Bolas is a really cool dragon villain. But what if you got an entire set based on this popular creature type? Dragons have been a part of Magic since the start, but the third set of the Khans of Tarkir block, Dragons of Tarkir, brought players an entire world dominated by five dragon clans!

RELATED: Magic: the Gathering Bans Two Powerful Cards

This brought many powerful and cool dragons to all color combinations, and many cards in the set support this creature type, too. It's a boon for anyone looking to brew a casual dragon deck or a dragon Commander deck. Dragonlord Ojutai, in particular, is a popular white-blue Commander.

3 Shards of Alara: creative worldbuilding

While the plane of Tarkir is a setting first and a card set second, Shards of Alara has a more mechanical identity.

Suppose you had a world split into five shards, each missing two mana colors? This results in Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Naya all in one set, and each is a fascinating world that's at total odd with the other four. What would a mechanical, watery world without nature look like? Visit Esper. Or what about a jungle paradise free of tyrants and schemers? Try Naya!

2 Khans of Tarkir: fetchlands

The Khans of Tarkir block has some cool cards, from Narset to Kolaghan's Command. But five in particular caught the attention of players everywhere: the original five fetchlands!

Flooded Strand (pictured), Polluted Delta, Bloodstained Mire, Wooded Foothills, and Windswept Heath returned at last, and entered the Modern format to breathe new life into everyone's decks. These card were rares, not mythics, so a booster box could have two to four of them on average. Even today, boxes of Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged sell for a high price due to this popular land cycle.

1 Shards of Alara: drama in reunion

In both the lore and the cards, the five separate worlds of Alara came together once again, and there were some serious fireworks. The reunion began in the block's middle set, Conflux, where the cards cared a great deal about the land types you control. This, and the abundance of five-color mana costs and activated ability costs, signaled the melding of five worlds into one again.

Don't forget the many cycles, such as the Sojourners and the Blades, to show these worlds melding and crashing together in the Alara Reborn set. Forest elves explored the steel cities of Esper while Grixis zombie hordes laid siege to Bant castles. It was nuts, and Alara Reborn made history as the first set composed entirely of multicolor cards! Incredible!

NEXT: Magic the Gathering Unsanctioned Card Set Revealed