Hello Im a noob at AGOT and Im struggling with the rules regarding Areo Hota and his ability. Anyway let me ask it straight up...

"If you already have a copy of Areo in play and would like to put another copy in play during the challenge phase (via Ambush or Arianne Martell's ability), will it trigger Areo's ability to remove an attacking player from the challenge?"

Well thats it... I hope i made my question as clear as possible. Thank you

0) Areo Hotah is Unique, so you can't put multiple distinct copies of him into play at all while your first Hotah is in play. (You may marshal duplicates of him, or bounce him with Arianne and replay him).

1) The ability is self-referential and doesn't care how many other Areo Hotahs enter play in that challenge.

To expand on what Kakita said. The small circle with the cross next to his name makes him a unique character, and thus only one can be in play.

Note that you *can* ambush him into play (or jump him in with Arianne) even if you already have a copy in play - but it will become a duplicate. It's not a very efficient way to get a duplicate into play...

And, in become a duplicate, the card'll be blank and the reaction to it coming into play won't exist to trigger, and wouldn't trigger even if it did (as no card named "areo hotah" entered play).

Let me see if i understood this correctly... Because of Hotah's unique trait i can no longer play another Hotah's ambush ability and use the reaction of that card?

It says in the RRG that once you marshall or put into play a unique card with a copy of it already in play, it automatically becomes a duplicate.

So basically if I use Hotah's ambush trait or Arianne's ability while there is another Hotah in play it becomes a duplicate of the Hotah in play, therefore i cant use the reaction of the card being played as duplicate? (I hope i got this down right)

Now as a follow up question, If I use Arianne's ability in the challenge phase during the action window after declaration of defenders, would the said character be participating in the challenge or would it be put into play outside the initiated challenge?

thanks

So basically if I use Hotah's ambush trait or Arianne's ability while there is another Hotah in play it becomes a duplicate of the Hotah in play, therefore i cant use the reaction of the card being played as duplicate? (I hope i got this down right)

Yes, *provided* you own and control the copy of Hotah in play. Important caveat.

Now as a follow up question, If I use Arianne's ability in the challenge phase during the action window after declaration of defenders, would the said character be participating in the challenge or would it be put into play outside the initiated challenge?

Arianne's ability has no effect on whether a character is participating a challenge. If you use it before declaring attackers, you could then use the character brought in as an attacker. If you use it before declaring defenders, you could then use that character (brought in), as a defender. If you use it after declaring defenders, it'll be too late to get the character declared into the challenge (although it's possible a card effect later on would allow them to 'jump in').

However, for the purposes of Areo, after attackers and after defenders are still DURING a challenge. You may not have made him participate, but you did meet the requirements for his text and could use his ability to kick someone out.

0) bounce him with Arianne

Arianne only bounces herself.