Wanted to test your knowledge of M-Leaguers? Wanted to learn some new facts about them? Well, here’s your chance! I have created some quizzes on sporcle.com so you can do just that!
Continue reading “M-League Sporcle Quizzes”M-League 2019 Finals: Games #11-12 and the Awards Ceremony
On the 6th and final day of the M-League Finals, emotions were high. Both tears and joy and tears of sadness were flowing today. With the standings so close, everyone wanted to see how it ends. By the end of the broadcast, over 1.4m viewers had tuned in to see.
I’ll be doing things a little differently today, going through every hand so you can experience the play-by-play excitement of the last day.
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p114. Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Games
Before the games, we were introduced to our commentators of the day: Hiyoshi Tatsuya and Tsuchida Koushou from Saikouisen. They went through the highlights from the previous day and then showed the rankings going into the 6th and final day.
The Sega Sammy Phoenix were ahead with 232.9pts. In 2nd place was the Shibuya Abemas with 146.8pts. In 3rd was the U-Next Pirates with 108.7pts. In 4th place was the Kadokawa Sakura Knights with -229.7pts.
Page 1: Before the Games
Page 2: Game #11
Page 3: Game #12
Page 4: The Awards Ceremony
Page 5: Final Thoughts
M-League 2019 Finals: Games #9-10
On the 5th day of the M-League Finals, it was hand after hand after hand. With 32 hands and the broadcast almost reaching midnight, it was one of the longest M-League days I’ve ever sat through. Still, it was worth every minute!
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p113. Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Games
After we were introduced to our commentators Kobayashi Misa and Shibukawa Namba from Nihon Pro Mahjong Kyoukai (NPM), they played the highlights from the previous day and then showed the standings going into today.
The Sega Sammy Phoenix were in the lead with 201.9pts, with the U-Next Pirates in 2nd with 119.1pts. In 3rd were the Shibuya Abemas with 66.3pts, while the Kadokawa Sakura Knights were in 4th with -128.6pts.
M-League 2019 Finals: Games #7-8
Today on the 4th day of the M-League Finals, we saw life and death. From destroying hopes and dreams to coming back from the negatives, there was a lot of action on this glorious day!
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p112. Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Games
Fujisaki Satoshi from Konami Mahjong Fight Club and Matsushima Momo were the comentators of the day. As always, they showed the daily digest of the previous day’s games and showed us the rankings:
The Sega Sammy Phoenix are ahead in 1st place with 178.3pts. The U-Next Pirates are in 2nd with 99.8pts. The Shibuya Abemas at 32.7pts and the Kadokawa Sakura Knights with -52.1pts are 3rd and 4th, respectively.
M-League 2019 Finals: Games #5-6
See that hand over there? Yeah, the one right there. That was one of the starting hands from today. On the 3rd day of the M-League Finals, the suspense and the excitement was unlike any other. With big things happening today, this was one M-League day I’ll never forget.
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p111 Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Game
At the start of the day, we were introduced to our commentators: Setokuma Naoki from Team Raiden and the highly enthusiastic Hiyoshi Tatsuya. They showed the championship plate and noted that the champions from last season, the Akasaka Drivens, have their logo engraved on the stand. As usual, they showed the highlights from Tuesday’s game and then showed the standings going into today.
The Sega Sammy Phoenix were in the lead with 186.0pts. In a distant second were the Shibuya Abemas at 87.9pts. Third was held by the U-Next Pirates at 44.5pts and the Kadokawa Sakura Knights were in fourth with -59.7pts.
M-League 2019 Finals: Games #3-4
Day 2 of the M-League finals is finished! With the most kans I’ve seen in a while, this was an exciting M-League day!
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p110 Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Game
With commentators Sasaki Hisato from Konami Mahjong Fight Club and Matsushima Momo, the day started with a recap of the previous day. Then they showed the rankings after the first two games:
The Sega Sammy Phoenix top the standings with 106.4pts. They are followed by U-Next Pirates 64.3pts, Kadokawa Sakura Knights with 47.6pts and Shibuya Abemas with 40.4pts.
M-League 2019 Finals: Games #1-2
The M-League Finals have begun and it did not disappoint! From a baiman to hanemans to mangans, the day was full of surprises and intrigue.
Link to the game: https://abema.tv/video/episode/444-4_s1_p109. Note that the game is only free to watch for 72 hours after game time. After 72 hours, it will only be available to users with Abema Premium.
Before the Game
With Hagiwara Masato from Team Raiden helping with the commentary, we got our first look into the commentating booth. To observe social distancing, the two commentators sat a distance between them. During the actual game, they were moved to different rooms in order to keep their distance.
Before the first game, they showed some highlights of the season and how each team got to the finals. Afterwards, they showed the standings going into the finals.
Kadokawa Sakura Knights were in the lead with 142.4pts, with the Sega Sammy Phoenix within striking distance of the lead with 86.0pts. Though the Shibuya Abemas and the U-Next Pirates were at 32.0pts and -1.7pts respectively, they still posed a threat with the final being 12 games.
M-League 2019 Finals: A Look at the Teams
Only 12 games are left in the M-League season before a champion is declared. Each team has played 106 games so far to get to this point. With the finals just under a week away, let’s look at how each of the teams got here:
Continue reading “M-League 2019 Finals: A Look at the Teams”M-League 2019 Finals: What You Need to Know
The Teams
The Format
Half of the points that were accumulated in the semifinals will be carried over to the finals (shown below). Each team will then play a total of twelve games. Whichever of the four teams has the most points by the end of the twelve games will be declared the winner.
| Team | Score | |
| 1st | Kadokawa Sakura Knights | 142.4pt |
| 2nd | Sega Sammy Phoenix | 86pt |
| 3rd | Shibuya Abemas | 32pt |
| 4th | U-Next Pirates | -1.7pt |
The Schedule
Games will be held on June 15, 16, 18, 19, 22 and 23 starting at 19:00 JST (UTC +9). Each day will consist of two (2) games. The event can last anywhere from 2-4 hours per day.
Here’s a calendar of the schedule:
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.
Welcome to M-League Watch!
M-League is a professional riichi mahjong sports league in Japan. Top players from various professional organizations compete on teams, showing off the very best of riichi. With the games available to be streamed for free for people from around the world, fans from overseas have started to pop up. This site is dedicated just for you.
From your favourite teams to your favourite players, from insights to highlights, the M-League Watch team will be bringing you everything you need to know (in English) about M-League. So, get settled and we’ll watch as our teams riichi for the top!
M-League Watch 