The word “best” has a few meanings in English. As an adjective, it is something of the highest quality. As a verb, it means to beat an opponent in a contest. In mahjong, both definitions apply.
In the 25th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, we had players besting their rivals and players being at their best. We saw one of the best hands a player can win, players taking the best opportunity to win and a team getting their best result in team history!
North American fans will have their chance to join in on the M-League action during the M-League Meetup In Las Vegas on June 1, the first M-League event in North America.
M-League Meetup In Las Vegas
The M-League Meetup in Las Vegas will be held on June 1, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Treasure Island Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. M-League fans will have a chance to play against one of four M-Leaguers who will be attending the event:
Sonoda Ken (園田賢)
Shibukawa Nanba (渋川難波)
Hinata Aiko (日向藍子)
Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈)
The tournament will consist of eight 30-minute East Round/Tonpuusen games. Each participant is guaranteed to play an M-Leaguer at least once, and will also receive a special M-League prize for attending. Top players will receive exclusive M-League merchandise.
During the event, there will also be special side events, a question and answer session, a photo shoot with the players and official M-league merchandise available to be purchased.
The cost for the M-League Meetup is US$250 and has a limited capacity of 100 people. There is also a 3-day pass bundle (which includes participation in all of the AMOS Festival events) available for US$650. Tickets must be paid by Venmo or PayPal.
For those who do not want to attend the main events but wish to purchase merchandise and attend the side events can purchase a one-day spectator ticket for US$30.
Those who wish to participate must fill out a registration form and accept the event terms and conditions.
AMOS Festival in Las Vegas
The M-League Meetup in Las Vegas is part of a larger three-day event called the AMOS Festival in Las Vegas.
The AMOS Festival (shortened as the AMOS FESTA) is a special event sponsored by AMOS, Mahjong Stars (the official AMOS distributor in the United States), M-League and Saikouisen USA.
The top individual prize in M-League is the MVP award. The MVP award is the title given to the player who has the highest individual score at the end of the regular season. It is a prestigious title, with the winner receiving a medal that looks like the M-League championship plate and a cash prize of 1,000,000 yen.
In the 24th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, the MVP battle just got closer. The top players are starting to lose steam while their rivals are getting big 1sts. WIth this, the leads are beginning to shrink and it’s anyone guess who will finish on top.
Sometimes, the impossible is possible. The unattainable is attainable. That barrier that seems to be blocking you from moving forward can be broken.
In the 23rd week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, that barrier that fans were waiting to see toppled was finally broken. It took perseverance and a team effort to do it, but fans all over the world cheered as that one team hit the incredible milestone.
In mahjong, there are always great plays that capture our attention, from tight races to decisive deal-ins. However, nothing will ever beat the classic: the big win. When a player keeps winning and winning, they rack up their points higher and higher, pushing the limits with limit hands.
In the 22nd week of the M-League, we had not one, but two games with big wins. We also had some nice last-hand comebacks, some players getting their first wins in many months, and an rare yaku that has only been seen twice before in M-League history!
Getting hit at the start of a game is rough. Whether it be a small hand or a mangan, you spend the rest of the game playing catch-up. However, even when at the bottom, the best players can fight and make their way to the top.
In the 21st week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, we had multiple players defying the odds, getting hit with a mangan and still finishing in 1st place, sometimes with a commanding lead. For others, they escaped a deep hole to eke out a small gain. And in one incredible moment, smart messaging allowed two players to get big influential gains, all with just a 2,000 hand.
For some, February is the month for flirting. For M-Leaguers, February is the month for fighting. It’s the second-last month of the regular season and playoff spots are on the line. Individuals are trying to reach new records and snag individual awards. Starting this season, these individual awards come with prize money. Every point matters.
In the 20th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, these February fights were fierce. In three of these games, a big hand in South 4 decided who would win the match. In two games, someone won a baiman.
If a player wins a hand worth 8 to 10 han, they will win what is known as a baiman. A baiman is worth 16,000 for a non-dealer and 24,000 for the dealer. To see one is relatively uncommon. To see three happen in a single day is a sight to see.
That is exactly what happened during the 19th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season. A week that was relatively quiet became bursting with big hands left, right, and centre during the final day of the month.
I won’t try to buy myself more time, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
M-League Wafer Collection Box
On January 31, M-League announced that the M-League Wafer Collection Box will be sold at HMV&BOOKS online and at Lawson stores starting February 7.
Each box will come with one random wafer, as well as a random card. There are 36 normal cards (one for each player) and 9 rare cards (one for each team) available to be collected. Each pack also comes with a scannable code for access to a digital photo frame.
Mahjong is a game about making decisions. Each decision a player makes can have a big influence on a game. And when everything is revealed, you find out that a single decision helped you dodge the biggest bullet in your life.
In the 18th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, one specific player found out that they escaped a cruel fate they had felt once before. We also had a different close call this week, where a team neared a milestone but fell just short of it.
Let’s finish this opening and get right into it, shall we?
The Ura 3 win occurred during the first game on January 21, 2025. In E2-0, Sonoda called riichi on turn 2 on a west/8p shanpon. After winning on the west during the ippatsu round, the south was revealed as the uradora indicator, making his west triplet the new uradora. With the flip, it gave Sonoda a Riichi/Ippatsu/West/Aka 1/Ura 3 win for 12,000.
Sonoda, who was drafted back in 2018, had never gotten a Ura 3 win in his more than 6 years with the league. However, Sonoda had dealt into an Ura 3 hand six times.
In a televised news conference, the government told the country:
This momentous occasion has never before been seen in our country’s history. Our government is expected to unanimously promote him as the country’s national spokesperson. He has proven through his interviews that he is an excellent speaker.
However, experts are skeptical about the move, citing that important trade deals could be delayed if Sonoda’s speeches take too long.
I do worry about our diplomatic relations. And the health and stamina of our interpreters.
Some superstitious fans expected the ura 3 win to happen sooner or later.
It was foretold! If you add up the digits in 2025/01/21, you get 13, representing the first Ura 3 for Sonoda!
Others are worried that this is just a preview of even scarier things to come.
M-League Watch 