I really like the type B Zoltan ship, Zoltan shields (have to pay 100 to get normal ones as well), dual ion blasts, and a pike beam.
When you get into a battle, you Zoltan shield keeps them at bay, while your ion cannons eat up their shields, then disable shields and weapons, and pike beam them into slices!
The lack of normal shields and their high cost make it weak to asteroids, and anti-ship drones. Also, you need to find some more ion weapons at some point, or high shields will cause an issue.