It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. It was the age of foolishness, it was the age of wisdom. It was the epoch of incredulity, It was the epoch of belief. It was the season of darkness, it was the season of light. It was the winter of despair, It was the spring of hope.
In the 17th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, we saw the worst of Daisuke and we saw the best of Daisuke. In a single game, we saw unbelievable pain to unbelievable excitement, breaking records when we least expected them.
In the 2023-24 M-League Draft, Asami Maki was chosen by the Akasaka Drivens to become their newest team member. That season, she helped the team make their first finals appearance in three years. This week, the 16th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, Asami did something special, being only the third M-League to do this incredible feat.
Let’s keep moving ahead and get right into it, shall we?
Pro Baseball New Year’s Mahjong Exchange Tournament 2025 Results
After four qualifying games, Tanaka Eito for the Yomiuri Giants, Nakamura Kento of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, as well as former M-Leaguers Tojo Rio and Maruyama Kanako all advanced to the finals.
With a close game going into the final hand, Nakamura soared swam strong in his final dealership to finish the game with a commanding score of 52,600 to win the tournament. With the win, Nakamura received
With Nakamura’s tournament win, he received a new AMOS REXX III and a 13-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256G.
All VODs for the tournament, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament, can be watched for free on ABEMA
In 2018, Shiratori Sho was the Shibuya Abemas’ second round draft pick in the very first M-League draft. Over the years, he has helped the team make the finals five times and won the championship in the 2022-23 season. This week, the 15th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, he accomplished a feat that has only been done once before in the entire history of M-League.
Let’s start the show and get right into it, shall we?
Pro Baseball New Year’s Mahjong Exchange Tournament 2025
The 16 players will be split into four tables, with the winner of each table advancing to the finals.
This edition, 14 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) players and 2 former M-Leaguers (Tojo Rio and Maruyama Kanako) will be competing in the tournament.
Sometimes things don’t go how you expect them to go. When everything seems to go right, there is that one player with perfect luck who can change the course of the game. This player is the spoiler.
In the 14th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, we had many instances for players shaking up the standings even when they aren’t directly involved. And in one case, we had a player reject a double riichi to make a comeback and steal a player’s first win of the season.
I won’t spoil any more, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
Girls und Panzer x M-League
On December 13, the Girls und Panzer official Twitter account revealed the M-League themed goods that will be available as part of the “Girls und Panzer das Finale: Mahjong Tsumo Tsumo Strategy!” popup shop.
The Girls und Panzer x M-League collab goods feature nine characters from the anime wearing a different M-League uniform. These designs are available as stickers, acrylic stands, keychains and badges.
The pop-up shop will be set up in three different locations over the next three months
We’re exactly at the halfway point of the season and there are intense battles at both ends of the standings! Today, we’ll look at how each team is doing and figure out what each team can do to find success.
When things look like they can’t get any worse, when the benefits outweigh the risks, all that’s left to do is move forward. Push back against the riichi and chase. Go for a quick hand to win the pot. Take your team to new heights with a big win.
In the 13th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, players did big chasing riichis and got rewarded with ippatsu wins. We had players multiplying their winnings because of the many riichi sticks in the pot. We had teams breaking score milestones to challenge records. We even had a cool yakuman tenpai!
Let’s move on ahead and get right into it, shall we?
There is always a first for everything. For some players, it’s their first win of the season. For others, it’s their first 4th. And sometimes, we see something for the first time in a long time.
In the 12th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, we had players getting their first 1st (on a very special day too!), some players losing their first game, while one player made a hand that hasn’t been seen in more than 18 months!
South 4 is the final hand in a typical hanchan. For the final dealer, they have control of how long the game goes on for. For everyone else, it’s their final chance to fight for position. With the value and the right tiles, a player can fly up to 1st place.
In the 11th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, many players stepped forward to try to take the top spot. From gathering a lot of yaku to putting all their hope in a single dora, each chance was a moment of excitement for fans all around the world.
Enough with the introduction. Let’s get right into it, shall we?
Precision is an important strategy aspect in mahjong. Making the right decisions of what to discard, what to wait on and who to hit can result in great rewards. When a players fail to have precision, it can result in missed chances and knocked tiles, maybe even resulting in penalties.
From the precise to the imprecise, both were on display in the 10th week of the M-League 2024-25 season. As always, we also had challenges, comebacks and close calls.
Now is precisely the time to learn more, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
M-League Fans and Bromides
Starting on November 19, 2024, M-League 2024-25 bromides and fan designs will be available to be printed at Lawson Print stores.
36 designs for both the fan designs and bromides are available, one for each M-Leaguer. Fan designs cost 350 yen, L-size bromides cost 300 yen and 2L-size bromides cost be 500 yen.
Mahjong, with all its chance and variance and rules, can be frustrating. It takes a lot of energy to figure things out and sometimes mistakes are made. How one handles these challenges and frustration is what separates to good players from the great players.
In the 9th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, we had some frustrating moment, but we also saw how players overcame them. From a dead hand to good waits being beaten, we watched as players pushed through to succeed.
Just relax and sit back and let’s get right into it, shall we?
Premium Night
On November 11, M-League announced that they will be hosting their next M-League Premium Night on February 10, 2025.
The Premium night will take place at Tokyo Dome City Hall and will have all 36 M-Leaguers in attendance.
The match of the day will feature:
Akasaka Drivens
Konami Mahjong Fight Club
U-Next Pirates
Beast X
Tickets range from 9,800 yen to 16,000 yen, and will be sold on the Lawson Ticket website starting on December 1 for official supporters and December 4 for the general public. There is also a suite room costing 300,000 yen that can accommodate up to 15 people and includes a light meal and a team meet-and-greet.
Staff Yakuman
Before each game, the M-League staff usually play a hand to make sure that all the equipment and graphics are working.
During the rehearsal on November 12, 2024, the staff member sitting in Watanabe Futoshi’s seat won a suuankou! Even if it was won on ron, the hand would have been worth Riichi/Toitoi/Sanankou/Tanyao/Dora 6/Aka 2 for a 14-han sanbaiman.
M-League Watch 