Think the 2026 Card Is Completely Different? Think Again
If you’ve been mourning your favorite hands from the 2025 National Mah Jongg League card, you’re not alone. At first glance, the 2026 card can feel like a completely different game.
But once you start breaking it down, you’ll notice something surprising: many of your go-to hands didn’t disappear, they just evolved. And when you can recognize those patterns, the overwhelm fades and your confidence comes right back.
Here are three examples from the 2025 card and how they translate to 2026.
Reminder: A Pung is three of the same tile. A Kong is four of the same tile
Dragons Back From Extinction
2025: FF 123 DD DDD DDDD
2026: 1234 DDD DDD DDDD
This Winds and Dragons hand may be your new BFF. It’s the same concept as the 2025 version, only this time it’s easier because you don’t have to make two pairs (FF and DD). You will need an additional number in your single number consecutive run (four consecutive tiles instead of three). And just like the 2025 card, those consecutive numbers don’t need to match up with the dragons of the corresponding color.
2026 Hand At a Glance
-Any four consecutive numbers of any one suit
-A Pung of dragons in one suit
-A Pung of dragons in another suit
-A Kong of dragons in the third suit
-Jokers can be used in the Pungs and Kong
-Jokers cannot be used in the run of four consecutive numbers
Your Favorite Hand, Reincarnated
2025: FFFF 2468 222 222
2026: FFF 2468 FFF 2222
For many of us, the 2025 2468 hand was a favorite. The 2026 version has very similar bones: flowers, a grouping of 2468 in one suit, and matching 2s, 4s, 6s, or 8s in an opposite suit. The main difference is that there are more flowers in the 2026 hands (two separate Pungs of flowers) and only one set of numbers in an opposite suit (an opposing Kong in 2026 instead of the two opposing Pungs in 2025).
2026 Hand At a Glance
-Six flowers, divided into two separate Pungs; you must keep them separate and can only expose three at a time
-A 2, 4, 6, and 8 of the same suit
-A Kong of either 2s, 4s, 6s, or 8s in an opposing suit
-Jokers can be used in the Pungs of Flowers and the Kong
-Jokers cannot be used in 2468
Paranormal Floating Pairs
2025: 112345 1111 1111
2026: 113579 1111 1111 and FF 3369 3333 3333
113579 1111 1111
This hand confused a lot of people in 2025, but once we got the hang of it, it became a favorite. The 2026 13579 version of the hand is nearly identical to the 2025 consecutive run hand. The only difference is that instead of using five consecutive numbers, two of which must be a “floating pair,” you must use the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. In this case, any one of those numbers can be the floating pair. And just like the 2025 hand, the two Kongs must be the same number as the floating pair, but in opposite suits.
2026 Hand At a Glance
-A grouping of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 all in the same suit; any one of those numbers must be a floating pair (meaning the pair could be 11, 33, 55, 77, or 99)
-Two Kongs that are the same number as the floating pair, in opposite suits
-Jokers can be used in the Kongs
-Jokers cannot be used in the run
FF 3369 3333 3333
There’s a 369 hand on the 2026 card that is also similar to last year's floating pair hand. In this case, there's the addition of a pair of flowers, and there are only three numbers in the grouping: 3, 6, and 9 in the same suit. Any one of those three numbers can be the floating pair, followed by two Kongs in opposite suits. It’s the same concept as last year’s hand, with a few minor changes.
2026 Hand At a Glance
-A pair of flowers
-A grouping of 3, 6, and 9 all in the same suit; one of those numbers must be floating pair (meaning the pair could be 33, 66, or 99)
-Two Kongs that are the same number as the pair, in opposite suits
-Jokers can be used in the Kongs
-Jokers cannot be used in the run
Keep following We Mahj as we continue to break down the 2026 NMJL card. And you haven’t ordered your 2026 card, visit the NMJL website to place your order.