M-League 2024-25 Finals: Games #5-6

The time is 19:00 JST. The place is the M-League Studio. Peace has not been reached. The face-to-face battle continues.

In Games #5-6 of the M-League 2024-25 Finals, the games continued to be close and the fight continued to be intense. Both games took until South 4 to confirm who would be the winner.

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

Our main commentator for the day is Kobayashi Misa. Joining her are Konami Mahjong Fight Club players Takizawa Kazunori and Sasaki Hisato.

As a promotion, menu delivery has an online crane game with M-League themed prizes, including merchandise and a special invitation to a public viewing next season.

In addition, they advertised a new book Akatsuki no Mahjong (暁のMリーグ) by Maeda Kenta, which releases on May 9 for 1,980 yen. The book outlines 16 stories from 16 M-Leaguers who were fundamental in the growth of the game.

As always, we took a look at the standings going into today:

The Akasaka Drivens are in the lead, but just 14.9pts ahead of Sega Sammy Phoenix. The Sega Sammy Phoenix placing above the Akasaka Drivens in the next game will flip these standings. The U-Next Pirates have some work to do to move above, while Team Raiden has a lot of work to do in their next 12 games.

Intro | Game #5 | Game #6

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M-League 2024-25 Finals: Games #3-4

A bad start does not mean a bad finish. A good start does not mean a good finish. This is how the game goes. This is the nature of mahjong.

In the second day of the M-League 2024-25 Finals, we had players that seemed like they would win getting hit with some bad luck. We also had players who were down suddenly make a great rise. We also had a haitei hit, dora boosts and ura bombs.

Come on, grab a friend and let’s check out all the action that happened in this exciting second day!

Before the Games

Our main commentator of the day is Matsushima Momo. Helping out are Shibuya Abemas players Shiratori Sho and Hinata Aiko.

We then took a look at the standings:

The Akasaka Drivens, Sega Sammy Phoenix and U-Next Pirates are pretty evenly separated, but a 1st place could easily shift those standings. Team Raiden is in the negatives and about 300.0pts behind 3rd place.

And with that, we were off!

Intro | Game #3 | Game #4

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M-League 2024-25 Finals: Games #1-2

The M-League 2024-25 Finals have begun! The challenge is to demand satisfaction, to get your team to the top and win the championship. Only one team can be the next M-League champions.

The first day was a quick affair, but it was filled with close games and small hands that made big impacts. There was a lot of excitement in the first day, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

Our commentators for the day are Hiyoshi Tatsuya and former U-Next Pirates player and championship winner Asakura Koushin.

Before the games, they played a highlight reel of the top moments in the semifinals. After going through the regulations, we got to see the standings going into today’s games.

The Akasaka Drivens are currently in the lead, but both the U-Next Pirates and Sega Sammy Phoenix can take that lead in a single game. Being the only team in the negatives Team Raiden has a lot of work to do, but they have 16 games to do it.

After the players for the first game were introduced, we were off to the races!

Intro | Game #1 | Game #2

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M-League 2024-25 Finals: What You Need To Know

The M-League 2024-25 Final Series start on May 5! Today, we will be taking a look at all the information you need to know about the upcoming M-League Finals.

The Teams

Akasaka Drivens
U-Next Pirates
Sega Sammy Phoenix
Team Raiden

The Format

The team’s final score from the semifinals will be cut in half (rounded up to the nearest tenth) and 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 M-League champions.

TeamSemifinals ScoreFinals Starting Score
1stAkasaka Drivens+714.8pts+357.4pts
2ndU-Next Pirates+626.7pts+313.4pts
3rdSega Sammy Phoenix+512.9pts+256.5pts
4thTeam Raiden-9.9pts-4.9pts
The scores going into the finals (after being halved)

The Schedule

Games will take place on May 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15 and 16 and will be broadcasted on the ABEMA TV Mahjong Channel. Each broadcast will begin at starting at 19:00 JST (UTC +9), with the exception of the 16th when it will start at 17:00 JST to accomodate the Awards Ceremony. Each day will consist of two (2) games.

The Prizes

The Championship Plate on its pedestal
The U-Next Pirates winning the ￥50,000,000 prize in the M-League 2023-24 Season

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.

M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: Games #25-30

As the final hand finished on May 1, so did the M-League 2024-25 semifinals. With the final hand finished, the four teams that will advance to the finals were decided. As the final hand finished, dreams were made (and crushed) and preparations were made for what the future held.

In the final six games of the M-League 2024-25 semifinals, teams fought hard for a spot in the finals. In particular, the battle between Team Raiden and the Konami Mahjong Fight Club for 4th place was anybody’s guess. Who got that final spot? Who finished in 1st place? There are a lot of questions to answer, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings

Monday
(April 28)

Tuesday
(April 29)

Thursday
(May 1)

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M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: Games #19-24

As we finish the third week of the M-League 2024-25 Semifinals, we reach 4/5ths of the way through. As the end nears, the goals become closer. From teams trying to reach the top to teams aiming for the final finals spot, every single point, every single game matters.

In Games #19-24 of the M-League 2024-25 Semifinals, we had some expensive quick wins, some cool traps, and a team that went double 4th to recover with a spectacular double 1st.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings

Tuesday
(April 22)

Thursday
(April 24)

Friday
(April 25)

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M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: Games #13-18

As we enter the third week of the M-League 2024-25 semifinals, we are officially more than halfway through. And as the halfway mark is hit, days and games until the end are being counted. For those struggling, time is running out.

Over the past three game days, we’ve had a double duty daily double, a struggling player getting their team’s first 1st place and decisive South 4 shaking up the standings.

There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings

Thursday
(April 17)

Friday
(April 18)

Monday
(April 21)

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Matsugase Dropped By EX Furinkazan, Rumi Taking On New Role, Audition To Be Held

On April 16, 2025, the EX Furinkazan announced that they will be dropping Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥) and Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美) as players, with Rumi taking on a new role on the team. They also announced that they will hold a draft audition to determine who will fill one of the vacant spots on the team.

Katsumata Kenji (勝又健志) and Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹) will have their contracts renewed and will remain on the team as players.

Matsugase was drafted in the M-League 2021-22 after winning the first-ever EX Furinkazan New Member Audition. In his first two seasons, he took 5th and 7th spot, respectively, in the individual standings. However, he ended up in 36th place individually during the 2023-24 season and 32nd place in the 2024-25 season. He also ended up dealing into a kokushi on the team’s last day of the season.

In a Tweet, Matsugase described the past four years with the team as motivating and magnificent.

Rumi was drafted in the M-League 2021-22 season, joining her younger sister Aki on the EX Furinkazan. She helped the team get to two finals and broke the league’s almost 17-month yakuman drought on December 5, 2024 by winning a suuankou. However, she has only had one positive season and finished the most recent season in 33rd place individually.

In addition, Rumi has been facing health challenges since the mid-season and played only three games in 2025. To focus on her health, the team requested that she drop as a player but take on a new role on the team, which she has accepted. The exact details and title of the new role is unknown, but she will take part in team events as she is able to.

Audition

In addition, the team will be hosting an audition to see to determine one player that will be picked at the next draft (the other vacant spot will be chosen separately).

Semifinals

The audition semifinals will take place on June 15 and June 21 and will involve the following players:

The first four games will be played on June 15 starting at 12:00 JST and there will be a live broadcast on the EX Furinkazan YouTube channel.

The following eight games will be played on June 21 starting at 10:00 JST and there will be a broadcast on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel.

Finals

The finals will be on June 22 and will involve

The finals will be three games long and will be broadcast on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel starting at 15:00 JST.

The M-League Watch team would like to wish Matsugase the best in his future mahjong endeavours and Rumi the best of health and luck in her new position.

M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: Games #7-12

As we enter the second week of the semis, things are starting to heat up. With every game, every hand, the chance to move up in the game, a chance to move up in the standings. And as each game finishes, a sense of accomplishment, pride, helplessness, pain and sorrow fills the hearts of players and fans alike.

In Games #7-12 of the M-League 2024-25 semifinals, we had some big wins, some great South 4 comebacks and some incredible ura 3 moments.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings

Friday
(April 11)

Monday
(April 14)

Tuesday
(April 15)

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