[Nodachi]

Here's something I've had success with;

Design a DN with 20 shield generators, some PDC's, ECM, Stealth and Scattering Armor, and one cheap weapon. Add a few of these to your fleet. They'll get pounded and possibly destroyed but the bulk of your fleet should survive that first volly and be able to return fire. This plays on how the game figures out what the "strongest" ship is and how the strategies are set up. It's not foolproof but it does shift the odds a little.