The Go4SC2 series is run by ESL as an ongoing monthly tournament ladder for StarCraft2 players who are looking to challenge themselves by competing against some of the best players on the ladder. Every month the sixteen players who won the most Go4SC2 points are invited to the monthly €600 Go4SC2 Finals. You can count on most of those invites to go to established professional players, but here we would like to highlight the underdogs, the dark horse contestants who slip under the radar despite the epic play that qualified them to compete against Europe's best.





PappiJoe



Nikolai "PappiJoe" Tolstoy has been competing in Go4SC2 tournaments since the early days of StarCraft2 and of the Go4SC2 events themselves. The crafty Protoss from Denmark has flown under the radar, but has been steadily improving and tallying some impressive results in the process.



PappiJoe qualified for the last Go4SC2 Monthly Finals for the first time, and is apparently looking to make his presence a regular occurrence, securing a second consecutive spot in the finals this month.



November saw PappiJoe make it all the way to the semi-finals in in a close Round-of-Four series that went all three games.



In PappiJoe managed to make it from the Round-of-64 to the Round-of-16, notably taking down , before being eliminated by . This would be the second loss the Polish Zerg handed PappiJoe in less than a week, eliminating him from the October Go4SC2 Monthly Finals only days before. Still, losing to one of the best Zerg players in the world is hardly something to be upset about.



Beyond those deep runs, PappiJoe's seed in the Monthly Finals was secured by consistancy and dedication. He only missed a single Go4SC2 event in the month of November, and was rewarded for his efforts with a 12th place finish in



I had a chance to talk to PappiJoe as he geared up for the November Go4SC2 Monthly Finals, being held Tuesday, 13th December 2016 at 19:00 CET (10:00 PST), about himself, StarCraft2, Denmark, and the future.



The Interview:

Hello PappiJoe! It seems like you came out of nowhere this month in the Go4SC2 tournaments, but of course you've been representing Danish Protoss for awhile. Would you mind telling us a little about yourself?



Yes, sure. My name is Nikolai Tolstoy. I'm 28 years old and working as a general practice nurse. It was my highly beloved brother who introduced me to StarCraft back in the day, and who made me pick Protoss. Back then I was really into competitive Warcraft3 RoC, so RTS games have always been my favorite genre.



After playing mostly 3v3 through out WoL and parts of HotS, I switched to purely 1v1 and eventually made GM a couple of years ago. Nowadays I'm a regular in most online cups and attend offline tournaments if possible. I am representing



You had a great month, making it into the 16-player Finals. How long have you been competing in the Go4SC2 cups?



So I actually played my first Go4SC2 tournaments in WoL, all the way back in late 2010. I managed to cheese out VortiX in one of the first rounds with a 1 base blink all in. That was without doubt my biggest achievement in all of WoL. I still remember the game in details to this day, haha!



It wasn't until this year I started playing Go4SC2 regularly. Three months ago I set a personal goal to qualify for a Go4SC2 monthly final. Now I have just qualified for my second consecutive monthly final, and it feels great.



You're on team RedBloods, along with fellow countrymen Lillekanin and SpaceMarine, have they been helping you improve?



Yes they have. I remember I met them at a small Danish lan almost 3 years ago and today we are on the same team and close friends.



Spacemarine, beside him being a macro beast, his knowledge about the game would make him a great contender for StarCraft Jeopardy. Lillekanin is probably the best player in Denmark, as well as our team captain. To be able to sit on Skype and theorize with them and discuss and analyze everything from build orders to unit composition is a huge help for all of us I am sure.



Another team mate, the best Danish Zerg player Spazymazy, has also been helping me out practicing my PvZ. Since we are all so close in skill level I feel like we push each other to improve even harder, as we all want to be the best player in our country.



You've competed in the WCS Qualifiers, DreamHack and a handful of other events, do you have any big StarCraft/eSports goals?



Yes I already have a few goals for 2017. First off I want to get a top 32 placement at a Dreamhack. I also want to qualify for most of next year's Go4SC2 monthly finals. I think I have good chances of achieving both, so let's add winning a Go4SC2 Sunday tournament to the list.



You've been competing in the Go4SC2 events regularly, how important do you think these online tournaments are for players like you?



I think they are important for players like myself at a semi-pro level to be able to get exposure, as well as a realistic chance to actually win and be rewarded. If my only option for competition was through the WCS Qualifier, where I most likely have to all-kill Team Liquid to qualify, players like myself would easily lose hope.



I also think online events are underrated by a lot of players as practice. There is a huge different between [playing on the ladder] and practicing through tournaments. The more experience you have the less nervous you get when something is on the line, besides some insignificant ladder points. You also practice preparing for a specific opponent, knowing that you are favored/unfavored or you are familiar with his style before the game. And of course you learn to adapt from game to game in a best-of-3.



You made the Monthly Finals last Month for the first time, but drew Nerchio in the opening round. Without knowing who you're going to face, any special tactics in the works this month?



I have planed a specific snipe-build for Nerchio, so I hope to get the rematch this time around. Besides that, I think it's time to bring the blink-DT into the meta and Make Protoss Great Again.



I'll be watching for those Blink-DTs! Are there any particular SC2 heroes you draw inspiration from?



Yes, the two time Blizzcon Champ sOs for his success and innovative playstyle and strategies. And Snute for his dedication, hard work, success and failures, a person easy to relate to.



I'd like to thank you for the interview and leave you with the last words to the fans.



You are welcome, my pleasure. I want to thank my fans for cheering and supporting me. I'll do my best to show good games, beat Nerchio and win the Go4SC2 monthly final!



Follow me on twitter at



If PappiJoe is going to accomplish his goal and win the November Go4SC2 Finals, he is going to have to make it through some of the best players in the world, including: WCS Global Finals contender Nerchio , fellow Dane Lillekanin , along with Super , TAiLs , Reynor and more of Europe's best players.



Catch the Go4SC2 Europe November Finals live:

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 at 19:00 CET (10:00 PST)





Go4SC2 Europe November Finals



Qualified Players and Preview

Date: Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Start: 18:00 CET (10:00 PST)

Size: 16 Players

Structure: Single Elimination

Prizes: €600 Prize Pool

Coverage: ESL TV Poland - TaKeTV - Pomi - Wardi



GGs this month PappiJoe, GL and HF in the future!



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Good luck, have fun,

Your ESL Staff

Follow @Troy_SC2 Today's spotlight is on:Nikolai "" Tolstoy has been competing in Go4SC2 tournaments since the early days of StarCraft2 and of the Go4SC2 events themselves. The crafty Protoss from Denmark has flown under the radar, but has been steadily improving and tallying some impressive results in the process.qualified for the last Go4SC2 Monthly Finals for the first time, and is apparently looking to make his presence a regular occurrence, securing a second consecutive spot in the finals this month.November sawmake it all the way to the semi-finals in Go4Sc2 Cup #622 , falling to former Afreeca Freeks player Super in a close Round-of-Four series that went all three games.In Go4Sc2 Cup #625 managed to make it from the Round-of-64 to the Round-of-16, notably taking down Bunny , before being eliminated by Nerchio . This would be the second loss the Polish Zerg handedin less than a week, eliminating him from the October Go4SC2 Monthly Finals only days before. Still, losing to one of the best Zerg players in the world is hardly something to be upset about.Beyond those deep runs,'s seed in the Monthly Finals was secured by consistancy and dedication. He only missed a single Go4SC2 event in the month of November, and was rewarded for his efforts with a 12th place finish in November's Go4SC2 Monthly Rankings I had a chance to talk toas he geared up for the November Go4SC2 Monthly Finals, being held , about himself, StarCraft2, Denmark, and the future.Yes, sure. My name is Nikolai Tolstoy. I'm 28 years old and working as a general practice nurse. It was my highly beloved brother who introduced me to StarCraft back in the day, and who made me pick Protoss. Back then I was really into competitive Warcraft3 RoC, so RTS games have always been my favorite genre.After playing mostly 3v3 through out WoL and parts of HotS, I switched to purely 1v1 and eventually made GM a couple of years ago. Nowadays I'm a regular in most online cups and attend offline tournaments if possible. I am representing Team Redbloods.So I actually played my first Go4SC2 tournaments in WoL, all the way back in late 2010. I managed to cheese out in one of the first rounds with a 1 base blink all in. That was without doubt my biggest achievement in all of WoL. I still remember the game in details to this day, haha!It wasn't until this year I started playing Go4SC2 regularly. Three months ago I set a personal goal to qualify for a Go4SC2 monthly final. Now I have just qualified for my second consecutive monthly final, and it feels great.Yes they have. I remember I met them at a small Danish lan almost 3 years ago and today we are on the same team and close friends.Spacemarine, beside him being a macro beast, his knowledge about the game would make him a great contender for StarCraft Jeopardy. Lillekanin is probably the best player in Denmark, as well as our team captain. To be able to sit on Skype and theorize with them and discuss and analyze everything from build orders to unit composition is a huge help for all of us I am sure.Another team mate, the best Danish Zerg player Spazymazy, has also been helping me out practicing my PvZ. Since we are all so close in skill level I feel like we push each other to improve even harder, as we all want to be the best player in our country.Yes I already have a few goals for 2017. First off I want to get a top 32 placement at a Dreamhack. I also want to qualify for most of next year's Go4SC2 monthly finals. I think I have good chances of achieving both, so let's add winning a Go4SC2 Sunday tournament to the list.I think they are important for players like myself at a semi-pro level to be able to get exposure, as well as a realistic chance to actually win and be rewarded. If my only option for competition was through the WCS Qualifier, where I most likely have to all-kill Team Liquid to qualify, players like myself would easily lose hope.I also think online events are underrated by a lot of players as practice. There is a huge different between [playing on the ladder] and practicing through tournaments. The more experience you have the less nervous you get when something is on the line, besides some insignificant ladder points. You also practice preparing for a specific opponent, knowing that you are favored/unfavored or you are familiar with his style before the game. And of course you learn to adapt from game to game in a best-of-3.I have planed a specific snipe-build for Nerchio, so I hope to get the rematch this time around. Besides that, I think it's time to bring the blink-DT into the meta and Make Protoss Great Again.Yes, the two time Blizzcon Champ for his success and innovative playstyle and strategies. And for his dedication, hard work, success and failures, a person easy to relate to.You are welcome, my pleasure. I want to thank my fans for cheering and supporting me. I'll do my best to show good games, beat Nerchio and win the Go4SC2 monthly final!Follow me on twitter at @PappiJoeSC2 . Shoutout to Team Redbloods Ifis going to accomplish his goal and win the November Go4SC2 Finals, he is going to have to make it through some of the best players in the world, including: WCS Global Finals contender, fellow Dane, along withand more of Europe's best players.Catch the Go4SC2 Europe November Finals live:GGs this month, GL and HF in the future!If you have any feedback - bad or good - about anything we are doing in StarCraft II then please let us know in the forum Good luck, have fun,Your ESL Staff Troy , Sunday, 11/12/16 14:52