[Nodachi]

Here's one I use against the talisman. Include in your fleet ships that have nothing but shields and a short ranged weapon. The default strategies tend to target ships with the most hit points so while he is wasting his shots against those ships you're able to slip ships in to do damage to him. You'd be surprised how much havok you can create by using those shield ships along with small ships toting an NSP.

One rule I play by when facing off against a religious race is that my ships are disposable.