Beheading Ned - Young Griff

Warning: This article may contain spoilers from any and all of the books.

Welcome back to Beheading Ned, the series dedicated to all things Nedly. Every so often, I come across a card that stands out as exceptionally Nedly. This could be due to its ability, icons, keywords, traits, or anything else that connects the card to its double in the books. With that being said, I would be remiss if I did not discuss some of these cards as the writer of the Nedliest article series.

This week I want to talk about one of my personal favorites in the Nedly department, Young Griff (VD). We first met Young Griff in book five when Tyrion boarded the Shy Maid with Ser Rolly Duckfield and Haldon Halfmaester. At the start, we were led to believe that Young Griff was the son of the surly leader, Griff. However, Tyrion soon discovered that there was much more to this blue-haired boy than we initially thought. Young Griff is none other than the son of the late Rhaegar Targaryen!

Thought to be killed during the sack of King’s Landing, Aegon (Young Griff) Targaryen was secretly hidden and placed in the care of Jon (Griff) Connington, the exiled lord of Griffin’s Roost. Griff, having been very close to Rhaegar, vowed to protect his son and see that he was restored to his rightful place upon the Iron Throne. For years, the two stayed hidden across the sea until the time finally came for Young Griff to reveal himself and take back his birthright!

Now that we have some background on the character, let’s take a look at why this card is particularly Nedly. Starting off with the obvious, Young Griff (VD) belongs to House Targaryen. But, he is House Targaryen only, due to the fact that he is a shadows card. This alone is rather thematic when we consider that he had to stay hidden and even change his name and appearance for years. His stealth keyword also fits this theme.

Next, let’s look at his icons. This amazing card has all three icons and with good reasoning. We saw that Haldon Halfmaester was teaching Young Griff history, languages, reading and writing, and many other things. These lessons are used to prepare Young Griff to be a knowledgeable ruler, and thus warrant him a shiny intrigue icon. At the end of the last Griff chapter, we see Young Griff’s cavalier attitude as he demands to lead the next attack, showing how he deserves his military icon. The power icon is pretty obvious considering his family.

To wrap up this Nedly card, let’s discuss his character ability. Young Griff (VD) states that when he comes out of the shadows, stand any number of characters you control. This ability is just thematic all the way through. Young Griff, who has stayed hidden in the shadows, finally emerges and rallies all of his supporters to his cause. He stands everyone who has knelt before the Lannisters so they may fight alongside him (assuming you bring him out of shadows during the challenges phase)! And, after all of that, he allows you to bring out an additional card from the shadows (keep in mind you can only do this if you have stood a character with the first part of his ability). Hmmmm, I might be over thinking this, but didn’t Varys finally reappear after Young Griff landed in Westeros? This effect is not only good, but Nedly to the core.

That concludes our Nedly breakdown of Young Griff (VD). Please feel free to comment with your thoughts and take on this crazy card. Will Young Griff be the future king of Westeros? Only time will tell. However, it is certain that his card is one of the Nedliest out there.