Game #5
EX Furinkazan
Kadokawa
Sakura Knights
U-Next Pirates
Akasaka
Drivens
Direct
May 9, Game 1
In E1-0, Okada is playing the Kadokawa Sakura Knights and sitting in this season’s lucky south seat. With the team just 33.8pts away from the 2nd place EX Furinkazan, Okada wants to win this game and take her team up a rank.
Okada starts out the hand 4-shanten with three potential ryanmens and a connected red 5p. Early on, dealer Matsugase makes a quick double east pon to give him a yaku and put him 2-shanten. Around the start of the second row, Matsugase is able to get to iishanten. Meanwhile. Okada patiently waits to draw connecting tiles. With some ideal draws, she is also able to get to iishanten, holding a kanchan and a ryanmen. In the second row, Okada gets to a perfect iishanten and maximizes her chances of getting to tenpai. In the middle of the row, Matsugase is the first to tenpai and waits on a 3m penchan.
After a lot of drawing and discarding, Okada gets to tenpai at the start of the third row and calls riichi on a red 5p, guaranteed at least a mangan.
Across the table from her is Sonoda, sitting at iishanten. With good choices earlier on, he is able to maintain that iishanten while throwing safely. In the middle of the the row, Sonoda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 7m penchan.
Immediately after, Matsugase draws and discards the 7p, a tile safe against Sonoda, and deals into Okada. Okada wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Aka 1 for 12,000, a direct hit on their rival.
After being tenpai in E2-0, Okada continues her dealership in E2-1. Two riichi sticks and one honba await the next winner.
She starts off with a 3-shanten hand with a red 5s, a floating red dragon and a 5p away from a potential 456p iipeikou. On turn 3, she pairs up the red dragon to get to 2-shanten and set herself up for a mangan minimum. In the second row, Okada draws the 5p to secure iipeikou and get to a perfect iishanten.
For last place Matsugase, he is desperate to get points and end Okada’s dealership. With three calls in his first 8 turns, Matsugase is the first to tenpai and waits on a 36m ryanmen.
After a few misses, Okada gets to tenpai in the third row and stays dama on a 36s ryanmen. Soon after, Matsugase draws and discards the 3s and deals into Okada. Okada wins the hand with Iipeikou/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 12,000+300 plus two riichi stick.
Okapi
May 9, Game 1, E2-2
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3071
In E2-2, Okada is still the dealer and just a few points below 50,000. If she gets a big enough win, she might be able to launch the team into 1st place overall.
Starting with a 3-shanten with a 147m three-sided wait, a red 5m and a lone 4s dora, the hand shows promise. The first row gives her a 123p sequences and a 7m to fill in her 3-sided wait, getting her to iishanten. However, she still needs a tile to connect the 4s dora. On turn 6, her wish is granted as she gets the 3s and calls riichi on a 25s ryanmen. On her very next draw, she gets the 2s and wins the hand. Okada wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 6,000+200 all, bringing her score up to 67,400 and pushing Matsugase into the negatives.
Driver
May 9, Game 1, E4-0
In E4-0, Sonoda is in 3rd place and 6,600 behind 2nd place Nakabayashi. With his dealership just starting, he has a good chance to make some points.
From the start, Sonoda is 3-shanten with a loosely connected 3m and a distant chance at a 456 sanshoku (needing both the 4m and the 6p). Turn 3 gives Sonoda a 3p, the wrong side but it does advance his hand. On turn 5, Sonoda breaks his 2m kanchan (abandoning the 1m dora) to shift to tanyao and have a chance at a 456s iipeikou (needing the 4s). On turn 6, he gets the 7s. It’s not the iipeikou, but Sonoda does get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47m ryanmen. At the start of the second row, Sonoda draws the 7m and wins the hand. Getting one uradora, Sonoda wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Tanyao/Ura 1 for 4,000 all, moving into 2nd place.
Takame
May 9, Game 1, S1-1
In S1-1, Nakabayashi is in 3rd place and 8,400 behind 2nd place Sonoda. With Matsugase escaping the negatives the previous hand and maintaining his dealership, Nakabayashi wants to win to move the game along.
Nakabayashi starts out with a 3-shanten hand with a secured red 5m. Also wanting move the game along is Okada, sitting to Nakabayashi’s left. With a green dragon and 7m pon, Okada gets to tenpai in the middle of the first row on a 3m kanchan. Unfortunately, all of them are being used up.
Converting a penchan to a kanchan, Nakabayashi is able to comfortably shift to tanyao and gets to iishanten by the end of the row. However, he is met with more resistance when Matsugase gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a south dora tanki, guaranteed at least a haneman if he wins.
After pushing through for two turns, Nakabayashi is able to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 36m ryanmen, wanting a 6m to get iipeikou. With the two riichi sticks, Okada decides that it’s two risky and folds. On Nakabayashi’s second-last draw, he plucks the 6m from the wall and wins the hand. Nakabayashi wins the hand with Riichi/Tsumo/Tanyao/Iipeikou/Aka 1 for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus one riichi stick, retaking 2nd place.
Houtei
May 9, Game 1, S2-0
In S2-0, Okada is the dealer again, always looking for more.
Completing a white dragon triplet on her very first draw, she gets to 2-shanten with a hand that can be converted to honitsu. Though she pairs up a 1m in the first row, Okada’s hand has enough blocks for a honitsu and she cuts it. Pairing up the south and filling in an 8s kanchan, she gets to iishanten at the end of the first row. With a chii in the second row, Okada gets to tenpai and waits on a 1s/south shanpon.
Across from her is Sonoda, trying to get his team out of deep 4th place. Already being iishanten, he is easily able to push. At the end of the second row, Sonoda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen.
Though both Nakabayashi and Matsugase have some potential, neither of their hands seem to advance. With a chii by Nakabayashi, he shifts the haitei away from Sonoda and towards Matsugase. On the very last turn, Matsugase has to make a decision on what to discard. The 8m is completely safe against Sonoda, but is completely dangerous against Okada. The 1s is suji for both of them and he can see all four of the 3s. Not wanting to risk the 8m on a table with few manzu, Matsugase throws the 1s and deals into Okada. Okada wins the hand with Houtei/Honitsu/White Dragon for 12,000 plus one riichi stick, moving Matsugase back into the deep negatives.
Sonoda
May 9, Game 1, S2-1
In S2-1, Sonoda is in 3rd place, trying again to move ahead of Nakabayashi.
Sonoda starts out by drawing the red 5s, joining his red 5m and getting him to 3-shanten. On turn 3, he draws a red 4s, creating a 147s 3-sided wait and getting to 2-shanten. With an 1s draw on turn 4, Sonoda gets to iishanten. On turn 7, Sonoda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 2p kanchan. In the middle of the row, Sonoda gets the 2p and wins the hand. With the uradora flip, his 8s pair becomes dora and upgrades the hand to a haneman. Sonoda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Dora 1/Aka 2/Ura 2 for 3,000+100/6,000+100.
Direct
May 9, Game 1, S3-3
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5573
In S3-3, Nakabayashi is the dealer in 3rd place and 5,400 behind 2nd place Sonoda and 34,500 behind 1st place Okada. With the previous three hands going to a draw, there are now thre honba and two riichi sticks in the pot.
Nakabayashi starts out the hand making a pair of 1s, joining his other three pairs and putting him 2-shanten. On turn 2, he gets a pair of 9s to get to iishanten. On his third draw, he pairs up the 8s to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a white dragon tanki. With Okada holding a pair of white dragons, only one white dragon remains in the wall.
During the ippatsu round, Sonoda draws a red 5s. Sitting 2-shanten with two red fives and wanting to defend his spot, he pushes. On turn 4, he secures the red 5s and gets to iishanten. After pairing up the 3p on turn 8, Sonoda gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 2m kanchan.
With two riichi calls, it is difficult for anyone to defend perfectly against both. During the ippatsu round, Sonoda draws a fourth 9m and calls a concealed kan, making the 4m the new dora. With no safe tiles in her hand, Okada breaks the white dragon pair and deals into Nakabayashi. With the uradora underneath the kandora hitting, Nakabayashi wins the hand with Riichi/Chiitoi/Ura 2 for 12,000+900 plus three riichi sticks. With this direct hit, Nakabayashi is now just 5,700 behind 1st place Okada.
Final Scores
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s60_p251
Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_league_jikkyo/status/1788552720754130987
Standings
Another big win for the Kadokawa Sakura Knights brings the team up to 2nd place overall. The excellent recovery by Nakabayashi keeps the U-Next Pirates in a decent position at the top of the standings. Unfortunately for the EX Furinkazan, the big negative by Matsugase drops the team into 3rd place, now trailing the 2nd place Kadokawa Sakura Knights by 111.4pts.
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