Debate amongst my group has arisen about how, exactly, the latest Margaery Tyrell affects gameplay.

Scenario: Margaery initiates an intrigue challenge against a player and triggers her response, forcing a character without an intrigue icon to kneel as a defender. Does that character now count his/her strength since he/she has been forced into the challenge? I assumed it did, but friends aren't convinced.

That said, assuming that a character forced into a challenge does indeed count strength, even without the applicable challenge icon, can the same be said for icon removal?

Example: Player 1 initiates a power challenge by kneeling a character with a power icon. Player 2 kneels Greenblood Merchant to remove the power icon. Does the character still count his/her strength since he/she is already in the challenge, despite the abence of the needed icon? Does icon removal need to occur before any challenges are initiated? Again, I thought that once the icon was removed the character would be unable to continue the challenge, but am now unsure, depending on how Margaery's response works.

Any help would be appreciated.

Joshaw said:

The answer to both questions is that once the character is in the challenge, the game doesn't care if it has the icon for that challenge or not. If Margaery pulls the character in, it's in. If it enters normally and then has that icon removed, it's in. So, yes, in the latter case, you have to remove the icon before the challenge is initiated.

Icons are only necessary to be declared as an attacker or defender. Other effects that make characters participate in challenges (Greatjon Umber, Tyrion Lannister LotR, Margaery Tyrell ASotS, etc.) do not care about icons.