Cold Wall
The early portion of the game when many tiles remain in the wall and offensive play is safer.
Definition
The "cold wall" describes the early phase of a hand when the wall is full or mostly full of tiles. During the cold wall, the risk of discarding a winning tile to an opponent is low because most players are still assembling their hands. It's the opposite of a hot wall.
How It Works in Gameplay
The cold wall is your window for aggressive play. Early in the hand, it's generally safe to discard tiles freely because opponents are unlikely to be one tile away from Mah Jongg. This is the time to shape your hand, commit to a direction on the NMJL card, and make exposures if they align with your strategy. As tiles are drawn and the wall shrinks, the cold wall gradually transitions to a hot wall, and you should start paying more attention to defensive play.
Example
It's the third turn of the hand and the wall is nearly full. You confidently discard a Red Dragon because you're pursuing a hand that doesn't need it. Even though Red Dragons are desirable tiles, it's early enough that the odds of someone needing it to win are slim. Three turns later, you might think twice about that same discard.
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