Asriel

True. Rand in sheer power outdoes the heralds. He can definitely draw more saidin than they can Stormlight. Although without the Choedan Kal it may be closer than expected - We’ve never really seen Heralds in action before the Breaking of the Oathpact.

So if this theoretical Epic out-powers him because of that ability, he’d loose?

Sure, but in melee, Taln can speedblitz Rand. Which is his primary weakness.

My understanding is that power specifically is stronger when he was feeling strong emotions. I may be incorrect about that. According to the Coppermind: "When angry, Steelheart spontaneously transforms non-living matter around him to solid steel, spreading out from him in a sphere. Steel and iron have the ability to "insulate" against the transfersion, but other metals are transformed to steel. As this ability is tied to his emotions, he sometimes uses it without intent. This power has a radius of about four miles." (empahsis added) I think this is what I was thinking of. But say there was a theoretical Epic whose power strength was tied directly to the strength and range of emotions they were experiencing. Considering that most combats involve high emotional states, how would MT deal with this Epic? To avoid the obvious choice, this Epic has a weak danger sense to block being sniped or a sneak attack.

Out of curiosity, how would MT handle Epics with powers that have to do with emotional states, such as Steelheart's transmutation ability?