Could Corlys Velaryon Beat Criston Cole in House of the Dragon? Reddit Weighs In

George R. R. Martin's reputation as a master storyteller is built not only on his ability to craft intricate plots and subject his characters to intense physical and emotional trials but also on his vivid depictions of battle scenes. The HBO adaptations have done justice to Martin's vision, breathing life into many iconic battles from the original books.

Even so, fans sometimes ponder hypothetical battles that never occurred, pitting their favourite characters against each other and debating their relative strengths and weaknesses in combat.

House of the Dragon recently sparked a lively debate on Reddit about which character would prevail in a duel: Corlys Velaryon or Christon Cole.

While this hypothetical may come across as a little strange out of context, all fans know that both these characters were renowned for their unmatched combat skills. Cortys is famous as a naval warrior, while Christon is widely regarded as an unsurpassed swordsman.

Given his tremendous combat experience, Corlys may seem to have an obvious edge over his rival, but there are still plenty of fans who argue otherwise. For one, Corlys is too old to fight Christon, who's at the peak of his physical form at the time of House of the Dragon.

Second, despite his combat prowess and vast experience, Corlys is primarily a strategist rather than a duelist. In contrast, Christon is an unsurpassed swordsman who has twice defeated Prince Daemon, one of the greatest warriors of the time.

Christon became Lord Commander of the Kingsguard for one reason: he knows no equal in hand-to-hand combat and can take on multiple opponents simultaneously.

In Fire & Blood, George R. R. Martin calls Christon Cole the greatest swordsman of his era that no other warrior in the Seven Kingdoms could hold a candle to. So the fandom's consensus is that despite his years of experience, the Sea Snake would have little chance against Christon Cole in a one-on-one showdown.