yet many of the main characters are obsessive about judging Strength. I like the vague nature RJ gave the subject as it allows for people to make their own determinations on how powerful a character is within the magic system. Ages old debate about how close Nynaeve and Egwene are in strength or how strong Moiraine is in overall terms which helps us understand just how much more powerful the Forsaken are than modern AS. Although I've long been a proponent that skill and training against a channelers specific Talents and Affinities are far more important than simple raw strength.

Egwene is a prime example of a Channeler who has mastered her Talents and Affinities and is incredibly effective as a Channeler despite not having the raw strength of Alivia who has little practical training and despite a bevy of tools and destructive weave knowledge couldn't manage to defeat a much more skilled opponent. IMO Egwene in that scenario would have performed much better against Cyndane because she knows how to most effectively use her abilities.