Standings
The top team this regular season is the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. This has been the team’s greatest regular season on record. Being in the positives since the very first day and getting a yakuman, the the team kept gaining points throughout the season. Finishing in the top spot gives them the advantage going into the semifinals, starting ahead of the rest of their opponents.
Finish the regular season in 2nd is the EX Furinkazan. Even after the team touched -200.0pts at the start of the season, the team rallied forward and managed to make their way all the way up to +700.0pts. Ending the regular season with +586.1pts, they will start the a more than +250.pts lead over 3rd place, setting themselves up well to advance even further.
Shibuya Abemas finish 3rd in the regular season. Though they had a rough second half of the season, the team still managed to finish the season positive and giving them their fifth top 3 finish in a row. They are currently the leaders in the chasing group, giving them some control over the other chasing teams. If they can keep this lead or break away from it, they will be looking at their fifth final appearance in as many years.
Taking 4th in the regular season are the Kadokawa Sakura Knights. They are only 0.9pts ahead of 5th place, but that 0.9pts makes all the difference. By placing in the top 4, the team gets to play in the last day of the semifinals, giving them the advantage of knowing exactly how many points they need to advance. If they can gain some more points and take use these small advantages to their benefit, they could get their second championship in a row.
5th in the regular season is Team Raiden. After their disastrous season last season, Team Raiden has arguably improved the most this season, going from -1256.1pts to end last season to losing only -42.4pts this season. With this 5th place, it marks their third appearance in the semifinals. If they play well and play smart, they could see themselves in the finals for the first time in the team’s history.
Taking the final playoff spot is the U-Next Pirates. 6th place to finish the regular season. Sound familiar? This was the exact same spot in the 2019-20 season, the season that they won the championship. Could this be a sign? As the team in the most danger, they have more drive and determination than any other team. If they can positively harness this energy, they might become the first team to win two championships.
And now for the eliminated teams. Coming in 7th place is the Akasaka Drivens. The season ended on a slightly positive note with Sonoda winning the 1000th game of M-League and getting his 12 win of the season. Unfortunately, the team has to face the harsh reality that they have not made the finals two years in a row and have to make the hard decision of chosing to replace someone. They don’t want to, but the rules say they have to. It’s a sad day for the Drivens and their fans. The team will have to make the hard decision, regroup and look forward to next season.
And finally, coming in last in the regular season, we have the Sega Sammy Phoenix. After coming up just short last season by placing 2nd in the finals, the team has had a down year. They weren’t positive for more than a week, Uotani dealt into a yakuman and three of their members finished in the bottom six. Having made it to the finals last season, they have one more year of safety. However, they will need to retrain and reorganize so they can do well and succeed next season.
This Weekday’s M-League Stats
1-1-0-0
▲+81.7
1-1-0-0
▲+64.2
1-0-1-0
▲+23.0
1-0-0-1
▲+13.9
0-1-1-0
▼-17.9
0-1-0-1
▼-28.1
0-0-1-1
▼-60.2
0-0-1-1
▼-76.6
With the end of the regular season also comes the final standings for the individual awards. With some close races, the results have been finalized.
- Highest season score: Date Arisa (Konami Mahjong Fight Club, +320.2pts)
- Highest hanchan score: Kurosawa Saki (Team Raiden, 112,700)
- Best 4th place avoidance rate: Katsumata Kenji (EX Furinkazan, 0.9130)
Congratulations to out three winners!
And with the 188th game of the regular season, the 1000th game of M-League, the M-League 2022-23 regular season comes to an end. Congratulations to all the teams that advanced to the semifinals and all the individual award winners! Unfortunately, we will not be seeing the Akasaka Drivens and Sega Sammy Phoenix playing in the playoffs, but we will likely see them in the commentary booth as well as during the Noodle/Rice Deciding Match.
With six teams left, how will it all turn out? Will the rich get richer or will the underdogs make a comeback? Can players who struggled in the regular season shine in the semifinals? Will we get even more yakuman? As always, we’ll just have to wait and see! The semifinals start on April 10 at 19:00 JST. See you then!
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