Start off with an apology if this has already been covered.

After watching several WWPD videos and Clontroper5's Vassal wins, I have come away with the impression that Instigator basically cancels out either Jan or Dengars Intel effect as the Instigator is a ship so cannot be Heavy and the card says the squads are engaged. The rules state that the effect on an upgrade card overwrites any standard ruling.

Am I correct?

Want to be sure before I start claiming to be!

Intel doesn't work on ships is what it comes down to. It only affects squadrons. So because the Instigator phantom squadrons aren't on the board to be within or not within the Intel bubble and Intel doesn't work on ships, Instigator effectively ignores Intel (and Grit).

The Instigator treats all nearby squadrons as though they are engaged by 2 squadrons, but there aren't actually 2 squadrons causing that engagement.

Since the squadrons don't actually exist, neither Jan, nor Dengar can "make them Heavy".

So you are correct in understanding that Intel does not alter the engagement caused by Instigator.

There are only three ways to break instigators engagement without it simply moving away;

1. Blow it up

2. Admiral Chiraneau activated squadrons

3. Be Tycho Celchu

......or wait to activate those squadrons by it AFTER instigator jets past at speed four..

Or get bumped by another ship and go somewhere not engaged by Instigator.

Very nice, thank you gents for your clarification.

Long live the Empire!

I meant like, proactively.

I meant like, proactively.

This is the rules sub-forum: we are pedantic as all hell over here.

But in seriousness, I do sometimes use the "come bump my squadrons, I dare you" tactic on squadrons that are either jumping into Instigator range or have no intel support. It's an interesting kind of area denial: put your squadrons where he really wants a ship to be, giving him the choice of either not going there, or cutting your squadrons loose. It's obviously a distant second to just having Intel, but it's definitely a thing.