It’s been about a year since I last written anything related to mahjong, and much longer since I last played on a regular basis. However, now that AnimEVO Online is planning to include Mahjong Soul, a free-to-play internet-based riichi mahjong game featuring anime-style characters. I’ve decided to enter the Mahjong Soul tournament on August 8th.

This means dusting off the old metaphorical mahjong gloves and diving straight into the game I loved (and loved to hate)—only on a relatively unfamiliar platform in Mahjong Soul. Fortunately, there is no “pay to win” here, but mahjong is arguably already enough of an inherent gacha-esque gamble, that I’m not sure anyone would benefit from that. Also, it’s available to play on browsers and on its own app, so there’s a nice convenience factor.

Because I’m just starting out in Mahjong Soul, I’m in the lowest-level rooms, and it’s a stark reminder that riichi mahjong becomes a very different game as you go up against better and better players. Against absolute beginners, as well as those coming in from other forms of mahjong (I’m looking at you, MCR players), the tendency to go for extremely aggressive hands with little regard for defense makes for big crazy swings that are difficult to account for. Against more internet-oriented players who specialize in calculating the odds and knowing the mathematics of mahjong, you can go a bit slower, but this puts you at a disadvantage against the “occult” players who rely on sense, intuition, and deception.

Playing against newbies is somewhat similar to playing Smash Bros. Ultimate online, where the inconsistent environment throws in an element of randomness and chaos that changes how you play the game. There are certain things that you know should work, but lag makes a mess of that notion. In riichi mahjong, three opponents blindly aiming for toitoi (all triplets) simply changes what’s considered optimal play. And one must not forget that mahjong has a heavy luck element, so even the best-laid plans can go awry.

According to my old riichi mahjong panel co-host, Dave, it takes a long time to get out of the lower-level bronze and silver rooms in Mahjong Soul—you simply have to grind it out, no matter your skill level. A part of me worries that I might end up being too accustomed to dealing with low-level play, and thus ill-prepared for the real monsters inevitably entering the tournament. However, as stated above, different degrees of players can drastically alter how a game of mahjong looks, and remembering what it’s like to fight in the Pon Palace can be valuable. Perhaps, in this environment, being able to quickly assess your opponents’ skill levels will be of paramount importance.

For all of you readers who still get hit by that mahjong bug, I hope to see you online. You can register for free at smash.gg.