Game #4
Team Raiden
Akasaka
Drivens
U-Next Pirates
Sega Sammy
Phoenix
Honda Haitei
May 6, Game 2, E1-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p5126
In E1-0, Honda is the starting dealer and looking for Team Raiden’s first win of the finals.
Honda starts out the hand at 4-shanten with a scured red 5p and a floating red 5s. Within the first four turns, Honda creates a 456s sequence to secure the red 5s and get to iishanten. In the second row, Honda creates a 123m sequence and calls riichi on a 58m ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan if he wins.
Honda starts out the riichi with five winning tiles in the wall. However, none of them seem to go to him. By the end of the first row, it goes down to 4. In the third row, it goes to 3, then 2. Then, on the very last tile in the wall, Honda draws the 8m and wins the hand! Honda wins with Riichi/Tsumo/Pinfu/Haitei/Aka 2/Ura 1 for a big 6,000 all starter.
3 Han Mangan
May 6, Game 2, E2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s70_p2997
In E2-0, Takaki is in 2nd place and 13,000 behind 1st place Honda.
From the very start, Takaki is 3-shanten with all four green dragons in his starting hand. After forming a ryanmen on turn 2, Takaki calls the concealed kan. With the kandora flip, he adds one more han to his hand. With the rinshan draw, he fills in a 3m penchan and gets to iishanten.
As Takaki waits, Honda builds his 3-shanten hand. In the first row, Honda calls a 123p chii, putting all of his chip in on making his east pair into a triplet. In the second row, he makes a 5m pair with the red 5m and draws a third east to get to tenpai on a 5m/7s shanpon.
Soon after, Takaki calls a 345s chii with the dora 3s and gets to tenpai on a 1s/8s shanpon, guaranteed a mangan despite only having three han. Two turns later, Nakabayashi discards the 8s and deals into Takaki. Takaki wins the hand with Green Dragon/Dora 2, holding 60 fu to make it an 8,000 mangan.
Honitsu
May 6, Game 2, S1-1
In S1-1, Nakabayashi is in 4th place and 9,600 behind 3rd place Asami.
Nakabayashi starts out the hand 3-shanten for seven pairs (4-shanten for a standard hand) with a heavy leaning towards a manzu honitsu. With pairs of green dragon and south, there is value in opening and going standard. Within the first few turns, Nakabayashi calls on on the south and a 789m chii for 2-shanten.
While things look good for Nakabayashi, Asami gets to tenpai first and calls riichi on a 36m ryanmen.
During the ippatsu round, Nakabayashi gets to iishanten. Sitting in 4th place with a route to mangan, Nakabayashi keeps pushing. In the middle of the second row, Nakabayshi makes a green dragon triplet and waits on a 3m kanchan.
Nakabayashi has a disadvantage sitting after Asami, being on the losing end of a headbump. However, headbump doesn’t matter on tsumo. Near the end of the second row, Nakabayashi draws the 3m and wins the hand. Nakabayashi wins with Honitsu/South/Green Dragon for 2,000+100/4,000+100 plus a riichi stick, moving up to 3rd.
Tanyao Plus
May 6, Game 2, S2-0
Video: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-1_s5_p2136
In S2-0, Asami is the dealer in 4th place after being passed the previous hand. She is 2,800 behind 3rd place Nakabayashi and 7,600 behind 2nd place Takaki.
Asami starts out the hand at 3-shanten with a pair of 8s dora. Thought he value is good, Honda is ahead in terms of speed, sitting 2-shanten with three completed sequences. By turn 3, he is tenpai on a red dragon tanki, but doesn’t have a yaku. A turn later, he improves to a 69p nobetan and calls riichi.
With no safe tiles and good value, Asami pushes with caution. With a 456p chii involving the red 5p, Asami gets to iishanten. Near the end of the second row, Asami calls a 234m chii and gets to tenpai on a 58s ryanmen, guaranteed a mangan if she wins. At the start of the third row, Asami draws the 5s and wins the hand. Asami wins with Tanyao/Dora 2/Aka 1 for 4,000 all, moving up to 2nd.
Tanyao Plus
May 6, Game 2, S2-2
In S2-2, Takaki is in 3rd place and just 800 away from dropping down to 4th place.
Takaki starts out the hand 2-shanten for seven pairs (3-shanten for a standard hand) with a dora 5p and a red 5p double dora. If Takaki wins this hand, it’s at least a mangan. Takaki doesn’t make that much progress in the first row, but he does get to 2-shanten. At the start of the second row, he breaks a 7s pair in favour of a 567s sequence, confirming his pursuit of a standard hand.
In the middle of the second row, Takaki calls a 234s chii and gets to iishanten. In the third row, Asami gets to tenpai on a 6m kanchan with no yaku. Soon after, Takaki calls a 345s sequence to confirm tanyao.
After that, Honda draws a red 5m to get to tenpai and calls riichi on a 58p ryanmen, guaranteed at least a mangan if he wins.
Towards the end of the third row, Takaki draws a third 5p to make a triplet and waits on a 58s ryanmen. Immediately after, Honda draws and discards the 8s and deals into Takaki. Takaki wins the hand with Tanyao/Dora 3/Aka 1 for 8,000+600 plus a riichi stick, moving up to 3rd place. With the direct hit off 1st place, Takaki comes within 5,000 of 1st place.
Final Scores
Standings
With Honda winning half of the hands in the game, Honda gets Team Raiden’s first win of these finals. The Akasaka Drivens return to the top of the standings after placing just above the Sega Sammy Phoenix, but the lead is just 14.9pts. Nakabayashi’s 4th place pushes the team even further from the top 2, now 160.8pts from 2nd place.
And with that, we are a quarter of the way through the finals! 4 games down, 12 more to go. How intense will the fight between the top two be? Can the U-Next Pirates insert themselves back into this fight? Can Team Raiden escape the negatives and maybe join in the big battle? As always, we’ll just have to wait and see!
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