In Blood Battle Mahjong, fan patterns are multiplicative — each additional fan doubles your payout. A 1-fan win pays 2× base. A 4-fan win pays 16× base. Most hands naturally qualify for multiple patterns simultaneously, and understanding which patterns combine naturally is the key to building high-value hands without needing luck. This guide covers the most powerful fan combinations and how to aim for them deliberately.
1. The Fan Formula Reminder
Every fan pattern you qualify for when winning adds to your total fan count. Total payout = base × 2^(total fan). Fan stacks multiplicatively, not additively:
| Total Fan | Payout Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 1 fan | 2× |
| 2 fan | 4× |
| 3 fan | 8× |
| 4 fan | 16× |
| 5 fan | 32× |
| 6 fan | 64× |
2. The Core Fan Patterns
| Pattern | Chinese | Fan Value | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Hand | 1 | All sequences, no pairs used as sets | |
| All Pong | 1 | All four sets are triplets (Pong/Kong) | |
| Pure One Suit | 2 | All tiles from one suit only | |
| Seven Pairs | 2 | Exactly seven pairs | |
| Self-Draw | 1 | Win by drawing your own tile from wall | |
| Tenpai Bonus | 1 | Win without having made any exposed Pong/Kong | |
| All Kongs | 1 | Win on the replacement draw after a Kong |
3. High-Value Natural Combinations
3.1 Pure One Suit + Flat Hand (+) — 3 fan = 8×
Build all four sets and your pair from a single suit using only sequences. This is achievable with disciplined void-suit clearing and sequence-focused hand building.
3.2 Pure One Suit + All Pong (+) — 3 fan = 8×
All Pong and Kong sets, all from one suit. This is aggressive — you must claim multiple Pongs from opponents in the same suit. Opponents quickly realize your hand direction and stop discarding that suit. Works best when your opponents are also hoarding the same suit (unlikely to discard it but you have enough drawn tiles to complete sets).
3.3 Seven Pairs + Pure One Suit (+) — 4 fan = 16×
All seven pairs from a single suit. One of the highest-value achievable hands. Difficult to build since you need many pairs of the same suit — but when it comes together, the payout is 16× base from a discard win, and 48× base (16× × 3) on a self-draw win.
3.4 Any Hand + Self-Draw + Tenpai Bonus (+) — adds 2 fan
If you win by self-draw with a closed hand (no exposed Pongs), you automatically gain +2 fan. This stacks on top of any other pattern you qualify for. A basic flat hand (1 fan) plus self-draw plus tenpai bonus = 3 fan = 8× from all three opponents. Keeping your hand closed and winning by self-draw is one of the most consistent ways to reach 3+ fan.
4. Planning Combinations from the Opening
At the start of a round, quickly assess which combinations are within reach:
- Count your pairs. 3+ pairs → consider Seven Pairs path, possibly combined with Pure One Suit.
- Check suit concentration. If 9+ tiles are in one suit → Pure One Suit is viable.
- Check if your hand is sequence-friendly or triplet-friendly. Lots of pairs and triplets → All Pong. Mostly connected runs → Flat Hand.
- Plan for self-draw. Closed hand + wide wait = self-draw bonus almost guaranteed.
5. The Combinations to Avoid Forcing
- All Kongs : Winning on a Kong replacement draw is mostly luck. Do not delay your regular tenpai hoping to Kong-draw the win.
- Forcing Pure One Suit when draws do not cooperate: If by turn 6 your single suit is not materializing, pivot to a 2-suit hand rather than forcing.
- All Pong when opponents have identified your suit: Once opponents see you Ponging, they stop discarding that suit. Pivot to a concealed approach.
6. Sample High-Value Target Hands
| Target Hand | Patterns | Fan | Realistic? |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Suit Flat Self-Draw | +++ | 5 fan | Yes (1–2× per session) |
| Seven Pairs One Suit Self-Draw | ++ | 5 fan | Rare but achievable |
| One Suit All Pong Self-Draw | ++ | 4 fan | Difficult (hand exposed) |
| Basic Flat Self-Draw Closed | ++ | 3 fan | Common — good baseline target |
| Seven Pairs Self-Draw | + | 3 fan | Common Seven Pairs outcome |