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The trend that I see forming is this... Once Rand unites (conquers) the continent he's on, they will still have to deal with the Seanchan. This is where Mat comes in. All of the portents are there if you read the last three books back to back so that you can pick up on all of the pieces. The affair with the illuminator introduced him to black powder(or some approximation thereof). She already knows what she wants to do with it, and Matrim will use his combined memories to find a way to use fireworks and a 'Bell Maker' to come up with this world's first Artillery.
Considering that One-Power Wielders have been almost completely bred out on their side of the pond, it's really the only way for Rand to defeat an army of Damane.
Either which way, it means we will see a lot of Mat in the coming books.
I was depressed when I finished the most recent book and realized that nothing had really been accomplished. Moreso when I realized that in fact the last two books have been the same sort of buildup. I became near-suicidal when the thought struck me that I would have to wait another two years for the next book...
But then I realized that the more buildup his books have, the more amazing the conclusion will be. And with that realization, all was well with the world again.
Stupid anticipation...
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I'm married now, so the only thing in my house that pulls out now is the couch. 
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