A bad discard. Some unlucky draws. Losing streaks. In mahjong, things don’t always go your way. Even when you try your hardest, you just can’t get the points. But when the moment is right, when your mind has a revelation, when the tiles perfectly perfectly align, the win that you desperately need comes to you. In week 14 of M-League 2021, players and teams traveled on the road to redemption. From the first win of the season to the first time being on top of the leaderboard in 800 days, these teams and players came back to prove their worth.
We also had some surprise dora, an unexpected comeback and some strategic tenpai wins. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?
A new year is usually a fresh start, a new beginning. With how things have been going for the past two years, sometimes these new hopes for the future are dashed. In the 13th week of M-League 2021, players and teams seemed to get off on the wrong foot. From a grievous mistake, to having an unfortunate dealer turn, to 6 teams having negative performances, it seems that the new year was just as unforgiving as the last. However, we see slight optimism in the two successful teams this week, some expert plays and the fact that M-League is still going on! With the lows and the highs, let’s take a look at all the action this week, shall we?
As December draws to an end, so does the year. On December 27th and 28th, the last 4 games of 2021 took place. In this shortened M-League week, players made sure they ended the year with a bang. This time, we saw a yakuman chance, two big baiman wins and a rare ryanpeikou. There were also quick hands, dora-filled hands and some missed hands. With four action-packed games to disect, let’s get right into it, shall we?
The holidays are a time for joy and happiness. With positive emotions and a positive attitude, it can result in positive results for both individuals and teams. In the 12th week of M-League 2021, players kept their hopes up, approached situations with optimism and gained valuable points for their team. By the end of the week, we had the most number of teams in the positives. With all that, let’s get right into it!
We’re around halfway through the season and we’ve seen records broken and new players showing their prowess! Today, we’ll take a look at how each team is doing and what they’ll need to do to succeed.
When building a hand, sometimes you need the perfect tile at the perfect time to get your hand to the perfect state. When your hand is in tenpai, getting the best tile at the best time can get you extraordinary results. In the 11th week of M-League 2021, players drew the ideal draw to flip standings, gain big points and even make the game go on forever. We also had a big trap, the continuation of a long streak and the ending of a painful streak. With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Underneath the only face-up tile in the wall is a hidden treasure. To unlock this treasure, a player must call riichi and win. In the 10th week of M-League 2021, many players had the key and were generously rewarded. We also had a lot of baiman wins, haneman wins and some unexpected South 4 business. With all that, let’s get right into it!
Speed and value are two aspects of mahjong. Though a player may win a dozen quick and cheap hands, just one expensive hand can undo all that work. In the 9th week of M-League 2021, fans were treated to many expensive hands. 4 baimans, multiple hanemans and even a sanbaiman, players raked in the points this week. We even got close to seeing a record-breaking performance! There’s a lot to get into, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Mahjong is a game full of numbers and statistics. But sometimes players can beat the odds and come out on top. In the 8th week of M-League 2021, unexpected moments were on full display. From a houtei to a haitei, from a rinshan to a South 4 dealer spree, players who you thought were never going to win end up surprising us. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Flow (流れ, nagare) is said to be “the term used in professional riichi mahjong to quantify the metaphysical ability of spiritually attuned players to pull in good tiles”. Believers think that calling kan is the only sure way to gain flow. Non-believers say that it’s just an occult belief. Today, we will be looking at the evidence of flow in M-League and how the top players gain it and use it to their advantage.
Flowing Hair
Hair would probably be the last thing anyone would think of when talking about mahjong and flow. However, proper hair allows you to keep your composure and can prevent the flow from escaping.
Matsugase Takaya of the EX Furinkazan uses this well. Stylishly sporting a new hairstyle every time he comes on, he uses the power of flowing hair to channel his inner anime character and beat everyone at the table.
Matsugase was able to become an M-Leaguer by winning a suuankou in the EX Furinkazan Member Audition finals and eventually winning the whole thing.
At the time of writing, Matsugase is 3rd in the individual standings with a score of +188.5 and a record of 4/1/2/1.
The Transfer of Flow
As the law of conservation of energy states, “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed”. One of the ways to take advantage of this flow is to transfer the flow from a player who isn’t playing to one who is.
Katsumata Kenji of the EX Furinkazan is a master of the art. Before every game, he gets slapped in the back. By getting slapped, the energy from a resting player gets added onto his own power to give him good results.
At the time of writing, Katsumata Kenji is in 2nd place in the individual standings with a score of +224.7. He also had a 4-game winning streak earlier this season.
Note that there must be a physical transfer of power. When Murakami tried to harness power from Maruyama, who had just gotten a 1st place, by praying, he instead was greeted with his 4th loss in a row.
The strength of water can be seen all around us. From heavy floods to the formation of the Grand Canyon, some will say that water is one of the strongest things of nature. Logically, we look to water for flow.
Konami Mahjong Fight Club’s Date Arisa has this down to a science. At the end of each game, she takes a drink, making it clear that hydration is very important to her winning ways. Even non-mahjong scientists agree that being well-hydrated improves sleep quality, cognition and mood.
At the time of writing, Date is 1st place with the highest total score (+277.5), highest hanchan score (105,500, which is also the highest hanchan score of all time) and a 100% last place avoidance rate.
Conclusion
Flow is real. FLOW is the First Law Of Winning. Without flow, we have no chance of winning. By following the lead of these successful M-Leaguers, you can be sure to get good results in all your future games!
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