An English site on everything you need to know about M-League
The semifinals of the M-League 2021-22 season have begun! Six teams are vying for the four spots in the finals! As always the competition was fierce. This quarter, we had a tie, a player beating another by 100 points and two kans of great importance. We also saw an old friend that we hadn’t seen since April 29, 2021! With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
The M-League 2021 Semifinals begin on March 21! 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 2021 Semifinals: The Teams”
There will be 24 games played in total for the semifinals, with each team playing in 16 of those games.
Each team carries over half of their score from the regular season (rounded up to the nearest tenth)
| Rank | Team | Regular Season Score | Semifinals Starting Score |
| 1 | U-Next Pirates | +377.1 | +188.6 |
| 2 | Shibuya Abemas | +328.2 | +164.1 |
| 3 | Konami Mahjong Fight Club | +249.0 | +124.5 |
| 4 | EX Furinkazan | +184.4 | +92.2 |
| 5 | Sega Sammy Phoenix | +184.2 | +92.1 |
| 6 | Kadokawa Sakura Knights | +177.0 | +88.5 |
Games will take place every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from March 21 to April 8. All games will start at 19:00 JST.
The top 4 teams with the highest score after the semifinals will move on to the 12-game finals, where they will compete to win the 50 million yen grand prize and the M-League championship plate.
This is it. The last week of the regular season. Four games for each team and then it’s over. For two teams, these four games will be the last games they will play this season. The battle for the league MVP award brews. Teams try to take the lead in the standings. With action keeping us on the edge of our seats, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
At the end of next week, the regular season will finish and six teams will have passed the first test. Beyond that, they will have to pass a second test before moving on to the final challenge. In the 21st week of M-League 2021, teams and players know that the end of the regular season, the semifinals and the finals are just around the corner. They are trying to get their team in a good spot. They are studying and practicing and figuring out the best strategy against their opponents. And through this study and practice, fans get to see some amazing plays! From a team on a mini-comeback to some perfect timing, a rinshan to a yakuman tenpai, fierce competition was on full display. With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
The end of this week marks the last full week of February. And as February turns to March, fans and players know that the regular season will soon end. In the 20th week of M-League 2021, teams were fighting for position and fighting for their life. This week, we had some hard decision to make, hands taken to the limit and some great luck. We also had repeated wins, timely wins and surprising wins. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down and the S&P 500 falls into correction territory after the M-League game that started on February 22 finished around 40 minutes past midnight in Japan.
Early reports indicate that workplace productivity was down and absences spiked throughout Japan after sleeplessness befell the country. In North America, more employees were reported to be late to work.
In contrast, taxi services are recording record profits after many were left stranded after train service had ended. Vending machine data shows that late-night coffee sales were up as well.
Suzuki Taro, who played in the late-night game, still managed to do a livestream game review in spite of the late finish.
Top economists agree that this event was just a one-time event and is unlikely to occur again. However, mahjong experts agree that if a team can get 4th in 37.50% and has more 4ths than 1sts and 2nds combined, then anything is possible.
In other news, there was an major increase in the number of people trying to claim a senior’s discount after the years of COVID and the February 22 game gave people the sense that many years had gone by.
Standings are changing. Players are battling. Points are being exchanged. Teams are securing playoff spots.
In the 19th week of M-League 2021, teams are trying to put themselves in a good position as the end of the regular season approaches. Some are putting themselves in furiten to try to gain a more valuable hand. Others are rejecting a tsumo to gamble getting a bigger win. Even others are chasing rare yakuman! With all this action, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
In the distance, we see the finish line. On the horizon, we see the goal. Though we may not be there yet, we know that it is coming. The end of the 18th week of M-League 2021 means that in around a month, in 28 days, the regular season will be over and the six teams that will move on to the semifinals will be decided. With end coming in the near future, teams are figuring out their game plans. With winning streaks to yakuman chasing to tricky riichi calls, we saw a lot of movement in the standings. With that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
The main objective of most games and sports is to get the most points. Riichi mahjong is no different. From building yaku to getting uradora, the value of a hand changes with each draw and discard. And when enough han is gained, the big limit hands are won. In the 17th week of M-League 2021, many hands of value were won. With the value of the single han of ippatsu, mangan hands were turned into haneman hands. With the value of uradora, mangan hands were turned into baiman hands. And with limit hands being won back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back, players win big points. With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
For the past few weeks, both Asakura Koushin and Ishibashi Nobuhiro of the U-Next Pirates have been missing from M-League. In an interview with Mizuhara Akina and Tweets from the players, it was revealed that both of them are in poor physical condition (their exact ailment is currently unknown). With the two of them being away, both Mizuhara and Kobayashi have been playing for the past few weeks and possibly for a bit longer.
明日ゲストの予定でしたが風邪の症状が出ており、蔓延防止の観点から念のためお休みさせていただくことになりました。急なキャンセルで大変申し訳ありません！ https://t.co/DvYZQmpIWs
— 朝倉康心/ASAPIN🐴 (@asakurapinpin) January 23, 2022
体調不良のため大事をとって29日渋谷オクタゴンでの海賊リーグと30日最高位戦東北支部設立記念大会のゲストをお休みさせて頂くことになりました。「東北支部大会は開催予定」ですが「海賊リーグは中止」となります。予定を空けて頂いた皆様には本当に申し訳ありません。しっかり体調回復に努めます。
— 石橋伸洋 (@rate1484) January 27, 2022
For the Konami Mahjong Fight Club, Takizawa has missed a few days and will be expected to miss a few more due to a positive Coronavirus PCR test (though he physically feels fine).
新型コロナウイルスのPCR検査で陽性であることが判明しました。医療機関の指示に従いしばらく療養し、経過観察します。復帰時期については確認して改めてお伝えします。
— 滝沢 和典 (@TakizawaRenmei) February 4, 2022
すでに体調は回復していますので、麻雀格闘倶楽部、ロン2、競輪部等オンラインでは引き続き活動します。よろしくお願い致します。
本日より、新しい #ソニー損保の大好きCM を放送開始✨
— ソニー損保の自動車保険(公式) (@sonysonpo_jp) February 1, 2022
CMに出演してくださったMリーガーさまから、「対局中の緊張感とは別の緊張感が・・・」というコメントもありましたが、、
皆さんから、とびきりの「大好き」をいただきました❤️
ぜひご覧ください！#Mリーグ pic.twitter.com/ZfZzcNcYFV
This week, Sony Assurance released 8 new commercials starring M-Leaguers. These 8 commercials feature a staged M-League clip and the starring player saying “Daisuki!” at the end. These commercials join 8 commercials that were released earlier this season. You can see all of them here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGw85KePU-QYKpEaUNiukQwjRU9LAynXg
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
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