M-League Watch

Thursday marks the penultimate day of the M-League 2022-23 Finals. In Games #13-14, we saw players battling as hard as they can, trying to invade while defending their own territory at the same time. We also saw a timely urasan, some very quick limit hands and an action by a certain player that gained them the respect of all. Let’s not take up your time and get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

The commentators for the second-last day were Hiyoshi Tatsuya and former Konami Mahjong Fight Club member Fujisaki Satoshi. After a review of Tuesday’s actions, we looked at the standings.

The Shibuya Abemas were far ahead and time was running out. After a commercial break and the player entrances, Game #13 got started.

Intro | Game #13 | Game #14

As the M-League anthem played, fans ran to their screens to see Games 11 and 12 of the M-League 2022-23 Finals. And on those screens, we saw players running away with games. We also saw a ura madness, some flushes and a rare event that hasn’t happened in the finals since the 2019-20 Finals! With so many things to go through, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

For this last Tuesday, Matsushima Momo is doing her final commentary of the season alongside former U-Next Pirates member Asakura Koushin.

After the previous day’s digest, we took a look at the standings.

After the usual introduction routine, it was time for the games!

Intro | Game #11 | Game #12

We are into the last week of the M-League 2022-23 Finals and this season! This Monday is the last M-League Monday until the fall. During the 9th and 10th game of the M-League 2022-23 Finals, direct hits on the competition were the name of the game. From flushes to hanemans, we saw some great point swings. We also saw a very exciting hand filled with passed wins and a furiten riichi! Let’s minimize the preamble and let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

For this final Monday of the season, Kobayashi Misa and Saikouisen’s Kouno Naoya were the commentators of the day. After a review of Friday’s action, we checked on the standings once again.

After the usual player introductions, the game started!

Intro | Game #9 | Game #10

With Games #7-8 of the M-League 2022-23 Final Series over, we are officially through one week of the finals. Just as quickly as the finals started, so will it end. As we get closer to the end, there is more desperation, bigger hand are attempted and bigger risks are taken. With a lot of big moments to see, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

This Friday’s main commentator was Kobayashi Misa, with Kadokawa Sakura Knights players Okada Sayaka and Shibukawa Nanba as our guest commentators.

Taking a look at the stangins, the Shibuya Abemas seem to be ahead, but we knew that the next two games could change all that. After the four players for the first game were introduced and they came into the arena, the first game of the day began!

Intro | Game #7 | Game #8

On the third day of the M-League 2022-23 Final Series, there was a great amount of transformation. In the games, we saw hopeless hands creating pretty profits. In the standings, we saw a team rise above the others. In the commentary booth, there was simply a lot more excitement than ever before. There are a lot of highlights for us to tread through, so let’s dive right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

For this Thursday, our main commentator was the boisterous Hiyoshi Tatsuya and our guest commentators were the UK duo of the U-Next Pirates, Suzuki Yu and Nakabayashi Kei (we would find out during the games that they are just as loud as Hiyoshi). After some shots of the championship plate, we saw the state of the standings going into today.

With the stage set, we were off!

Intro | Game #5 | Game #6

After 30 hands, 35 riichi calls, 4 interviews and almost 5 hours of content, the second day of the M-League 2022-23 Finals has come to a close. With last tile claims and last tile draws, we had moment that seemed hopeless suddenly break expectations. With riichi after riichi, we wondered which player would win the battle. There are so many things that happened today that I can’t fit it all in the introduction, so let’s just get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

Our commentators for this fine Tuesday are Matsushima Momo and former U-Next Pirates member Ishibashi Nobuhiro.

After we saw the standings going into today, were introduced to our four players to start the day. After a quick commercial break, the third game of the finals commenced!

Intro | Game #3 | Game #4

The M-League 2022-23 Finals have begun! 4 teams. 16 games. 1 winner. By the end of next week, we will know which team will be crowned the newest M-League champion. Of the 16 players playing in these finals, only three of them have won before. We were treated to some exciting action in the first two games, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

For the first day, we were greeted by commentators Hiyoshi Tatsuya and Tsuchida Kousho. Before the games started, we saw montage of clips from the semifinals highlighting the top plays during the round. After the montage, we were shown the standings going into the first day.

After being introduced to the players for the first game, the game was set and we were ready to go!

Intro | Game #1 | Game #2

The M-League 2022-23 Finals begin on May 8! Today, we’ll take a look at which teams will be playing, how they got here and what they will need to do to succeed.

Continue reading “M-League 2022-23 Finals: The Teams”

The M-League 2022-23 Final Series start on May 8! Today, we will be taking a look at all the information you need to know about the finals.

The Teams

The Format

Half of the points that were accumulated in the semifinals (rounded up to the nearest tenth) will be carried over to the finals (shown below). Each team will then play a total of sixteen (16) games. Whichever of the four teams has the most points by the end of the sixteen games will be declared the winner.

	Team	Semifinals Score	Finals Starting Score
1st	EX Furinkazan	+290.4pts	+145.2pts
2nd	Shibuya Abemas	+266.6pts	+133.3pts
3rd	Team Raiden	+173.8pts	+86.9pts
4th	Konami Mahjong Fight Club	+172.8pts	+86.4pts

The Schedule

Games will take place on May 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18 and 19. Each broadcast will begin at starting at 19:00 JST (UTC +9), with the exception of the 19th when it will start at 17:00 JST. Each day will consist of two (2) games.

The Prizes

The winning team will win the M-League Championship Plate, as well as receive 50 million yen. The second place team will receive 20 million yen, while the third place team will receive 10 million yen. The four players on the winning team will also be seeded into the new upcoming M-Tournament.