Friday (December 6)

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Game 1

Date

December 6, Game 1, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p3598

In E1-0, Date is the starting dealer, facing off against her friend and rival Mizuhara.

With her starting 14 tiles, she is incredibly alraedy iishanten with a bunch of manzu (including the red 5m) and pairs of east, red dragon and 9p. Though she could take an easy iishanten, she decides to aim bigger. Cutting the 9p pair, he looks to get a manzu honitsu and get to a haneman

At the end of the first row, Date draws a third east and advances to iishanten. Making a red dragon triplet at the start of the second row, Date gets to tenpai and stay dama on a very wide 2358m wait. If she wins by tsumo, she will have a baiman. If she win on the 3m, she will add sanankou for baiman as well.

In the middle of the second row, Setokuma discards the 8m and deals into Date. Date wins the hand with Honitsu/Double East/Red Dragon/Aka 1 for 18,000, a big start to the game.

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Ippatsu

December 6, Game 1, E3-0

In E3-0, Setokuma is still trying to recover after dealing into Date’s dealer haneman. With his dealership he has a chance to escape 4th place.

Setokuma starts out the hand at 4-shanten, but has a good number of sequence options. Playing efficiently in the first row, he forms a pair of 8m and creates ryanmens. Setokuma gets to iishanten at the end of the first row, but still has to solve his 2m kanchan.

Though the second row doesn’t give him anything, Setokuma manages to fill in the kanchan in the third row and calls riichi on a 25s ryanmen, hoping for the 5s dora. On his very next draw, Setokuma manages to draw the big tile, the red 5s, and wins the hand. Setokuma wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 1 for 6,000 all, catapulting him up into 2nd place and putting him back in contention.

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Mizuhara In The Mix

December 6, Game 1, E3-1

In E3-1, Mizuhara is in 3rd place 7,900 behind 2nd place dealer Setokuma and 11,700 behind 1st place Date.

Mizuhara starts out already 2-shanten with a ryanmen, a 3m penchan and a secured dora 5p. On turn 2, she fills in the 3m penchan and gets to iishanten.

Across from her, 4th place Nakada is trying to catch up as well. By the end of the first row, she is iishanten as well and in line for a 678s sanshoku. At the start of the second row, Nakada draws an 8p to get to tenpai and waits dama on a 7m kanchan.

Right after, Mizuhara gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen. Two turns later, Nakada draws a 5m. Wanting to switch to a 47m ryanmen, she tries to call riichi by throwing the 8m and deals into Mizuhara. Mizuhara wins the hand with Riichi/Pinfu/Dora 1/Ura 1 for 8,000+300, moving into 2nd.

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Akina Ahead

December 6, Game 1, S2-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5598

In S2-1, Mizuhara is in 2nd place and 11,100 behind 1st place Date.

Mizuhara starts out with a pair of 6p dora and sits 3-shanten for both a standard and a pairs hand. To her left, Setokuma is iishanten. On turn 2, Setokuma has a chance to be tenpai. Since pinfu won’t increase the hand’s value too much and the south being a good wait, Setokuma decides to simply call riichi on the south tanki.

Since it’s an riichi, Mizuhara is able to avoid it by discarding the honours remaining in her hand. On turn 4, Mizuhara draws a red 5p. On turn 5, she gets to a perfect iishanten.

For Date, she avoids the riichi by discarding the east and 9m pairs, but creeps back to a good hand. At the start of the second row, Date gets to tenpai and waits on a 58s ryanmen.

Within the go-around, Mizuhara gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 47p ryanmen.

During the ippatsu round, Date draws a dangerous 5m. SInce three of her 8s are already out, she decides to fold instead of taking the risk.

Near the end of the second row, Mizuhara draws the 4p and wins the hand. Mizuhara wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1/Aka 2 for 3,000+100/6,000+100 plus Setokuma’s riichi stick, moving into 1st place.

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Leave No Doubt

December 6, Game 1, S4-0

In S4-0, Mizuhara is the dealer in 1st place, but Date is close by in 2nd place, just 7,200 behind. Being within a mangan range, Mizuhara wants to widen the lead and leave no doubt.

Mizuhara starts out the hand at 2-shanten with a 3m dora, two kanchans and a ryanmen. On turn 2, she converts the 8p kanchan into a 58p ryanmen, shifting her to tanyao in the process. Through the rest of the row, she pairs up the 3p and draws an 8p to get to iishanten.

In the middle of the second row, Mizuhara draws a third 3p and calls riichi on a 25m ryanmen.

To her right, Date wants to win. With Mizuhara’s riichi stick, Date needs a 2/40 direct hit (to tie), a 3/30 tsumo, or a 3/50 or 4/25 ron.

While weaving her way around the hand, Date manages to get to iishanten at the start of the third row. Unfortunately, she has an extra 2m in her hand. With just four tiles left in the wall, Date gets to tenpai. Being in line for a Riichi/Pinfu/Tanyao/Dora 1 comeback, Date calls riichi by discarding the 2m and deals into Mizuhara.

Mizuhara wins the hand with Riichi/Tanyao/Dora 1 for 7,700. With the direct hit off her rival, Mizuhara now has a 22,600 over 2nd place Date, essentially securing her win.

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Results

Game 95

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Game 2

Monkey Magic

December 6, Game 2, E2-0

In E2-0, Sarukawa is in 2nd place and 4,900 behind 1st place Yu.

Sarukawa starts out with pairs of 1m, 1s (which is also the dora), 2s and 6p, giving him a choice between toitoi and chiitoi. On turn 2, he draws a third 2s, moving him slightly closer to a standard hand. On turn 4, he pairs up the east for a potential yakuhai.

At the end of the first row, Sarukawa calls pon on the east, securing the standard route and advancing to iishanten. With a 1m pon soon after, Sarukawa gets to tenpai on a 1s/6p shanpon.

To his left, Honda is trying to escape 4th place. Sitting in iishanten with a pretty wide acceptance, he has a chance to win this hand.

As Honda draws a 9m, he creates the potential for a 789m sanshoku. However, it does not bode well for his 6789p shape. In the middle of his row, Honda gets to tenpai and tries to call riichi by discarding the 6p, but ends up dealing into Sarukawa.

Sarukawa wins the hand with Toitoi/East/Dora 2 for 8,000, moving Sarukawa into 1st.

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Up To Yu

December 6, Game 2, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5599

In S2-0, Yu is in 3rd place, 800 behind 2nd place Takizawa and 8,400 behind 1st place Sarukawa. A mangan tsumo is the easiest way to 1st place.

Yu starts out the hand with a 7s dora at 2-shanten, but the dora is not quite secured. After forming a sequence in pinzu and drawing an 8s to connect to the dora, Yu gets to iishanten.

Across from him, Sarukawa is trying to keep his lead. Near the end of his first row, he gets to iishanten. A few turns later, Sarukawa draws the 5m. Being the first to tenpai, he calls riichi and waits on a 14p ryanmen.

Back to Yu, he has improved to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten, guaranteed a good wait. After avoiding the ippatsu round, Yu gets to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen. On his very next draw, Yu gets the 8p and wins the hand. Yu wins with Riichi/Ippatsu/Tsumo/Pinfu/Dora 1 for 2,000/4,000 plus Sarukawa’s riichi stick, taking top spot.

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Strike Like Lightning

December 6, Game 2, S4-1
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5088

In S4-1, times are really trying. Honda is in 4th place, 7,400 behind 3rd place Takizawa, 16,000 behind 2nd place Sarukawa and 19,600 behind 1st place Yu. With 1,300 in bonuses in the pot and his dealership, he has a chance to go off and fly.

Honda starts out completing a 123m sequence and advances to 3-shanten. Though, Honda lacks any value. After creating a 23p block and a 223s block, there is sight of a 123 sanshoku, but he would need more perfect draws. On turn 6, Honda draws a 7m to get to a ryanmen-ryanmen iishanten.

Around the start of the second row, Honda draws a 1p to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 14s ryanmen, needing the 1s for max value. Right after, Sarukawa duscards the 1s and deals into Honda. Honda wins the hand with Riichi/Ippatsu/Pinfu/Sanshoku/Dora 1 for 18,000+300 plus a riichi stick.

With the win, Honda is now just 300 behind 1st place Yu and Sarukawa is down to 4th place.

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Yu Win

December 6, Game 2, S4-2

In S4-2, Yu is in 1st place, but Honda is breathing down his neck. With just a 300 gap between them, Yu wants to win this hand and take the game.

Before he even gets his first draw, Yu calls pon on the green dragon and gets to 3-shanten. Right after another, Yu draws useful tiles. Pairing up a 2m, drawing a 7m to fill in a ryanmen and drawing a 1p to fill another, Yu gets to tenpai on a 7s penchan.

Just two turns later, Sarukawa discards the 7s and deals into Yu. Yu wins with Green Dragon only for 1,000+600, taking the game and giving the U-Next Pirates another daily double.

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Results

Game 96

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