(Wow super long post here but I am waiting for my wife to call so I can't start a game anyway.)
I play Vasari about 99% of the time these day and have a record of 185 games, 115 wins and 23 loses. The majority of my games that aren't wins or loses are mini dumps, remakes/desync and having an ally leave early during a just for fun comp stomp. Funny enough I started playing Vasari because most of the time I am the only person on my team who would and sometimes in the entire game. I would say in games of average to above average skill, 70% of the people are advent. In most skilled games it is probably 50%, as skilled players know that at least someone on their team has to play Vasari.
Now hopefully no one takes this the wrong way but this discussion reminds me of the saying, "The problem isn't drunk driving, the problem is that nobody knows how to drive drunk". Okay obviously drunk driving is a problem but the saying does have merit to this discussion. People want the Vasari to be Advent with phase missiles and planet suck. Thats just not who the Vasari are. You aren't going to win games as Vasari by mass spamming ships, against a skilled opponent it just can't be done.
Vasari's early game talent is killing capital ships, exploding your econ with neutrals, the orky and phase inhibitors. Now occasionally a random map won't have neutrals but most do. But still, if you aren't using all of these advantages within the first 15-20 minutes then no wonder you are struggling with Vasari. Beyond that the most important key to victory as Vasari is heavily upgraded phase missiles (30% at least but damage is also nice), a ton of assailants, fighter and bombers (if needed) and whatever ships you need to keep those assailants/carriers alive. The one exceptions to this is Advent scout/disciple rush which I'll talk about in a sec. The thing is though, upgraded phase missiles are so effective against Advent that by the time a ships shields are down, the hull is usually half way gone too. If your opponent isn't paying super close attention to a battle by the time he hears "Our capital ships shields are down" it will already be too late to save it. I've even killed caps which still had shields because even though they were using shield restore the hull points fell to 0. Not only does this make phase missiles the single most deadly weapon in the game, but it is the only weapon in the game shared by all of a races capital ships, lrfs, fighters, bombers and starbase.
You guys have touched on Vasari's one true early game downfall though, the Advent disciple/scout rush. Assailant will counter the disciples, but scout will counter the assailant. Flak will counter the scouts, but disciples will counter the flak. Disciples and scouts cost less, can be built faster and cost less fleet supply then assailants and flak. It is the same as in chess, if my bishop protects a spot and so does your pawn, the spot belongs to you. IMO advent needs to be nerfed, not vasari getting a buff. Now early game illum spam doesn't bother me and I fight through it all the time. Illums need flak or fighter support to stay alive and if you build carriers and flak, then you really aren't illum spamming anyway. Late game illum spam on the other had is ridiculous and can't be beat by anything but a super econ, kodiak/hoshiko spamming, doesn't care that all his capital ships die in the first 30 seconds of a battle type of man. Once again they need to fix the bug with illum damage.
Here are some under used Vasari tactics...
1. Not only having enough scouts to capture all the neutrals from non vasari players, but having enough scouts to kill those colony frigates that people will send the get them back. Packs of 5-6 scouts work great. If the neutrals are near the sun I will rest them there when not in use because of the anti-matter buff and frankly because the sun is a non factor in most games and no one ever checks it. Worm holes, plasma clouds and dead asteroids work well to for hiding those scouts till they need to jump in, kill a colony frig, recapture the neutral then jump out.
2. Micro managing the Egg's two cap killing abilities. Using nano disassembler and the other one that I've forgotten the name but is disables phase jump and makes a ship move slower. Nano disassembler is fairly simple as long as you don't over use it. I prefer to wait until the shields are down because you want the armor loss to count. Also never use it until you are out of anti-matter as that will cause problems with ability #2. Always micro ability #2 because it is basically worthless for it's ship slowing properties. Always use it when that dying cap is trying to escape because it will buy you a few more seconds to kill it. If you time it just right you can make them charge their jump engines twice.
3. Star base bluffing. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who uses this. Always have a colony ship handy, even if you don't have the money for a SB or don't even have it researched yet (very few zoom in to check). There are three ways to use this. The first is to have it on the very far side of the gravity well from the enemy's point of attack. Usually they will commit ships to destroying it while you are killing them. If they don't take the bait with it just sitting there, move it to somewhere like you are going to build the base there. Almost all people will bite at this. When the ships get close, jump it away from the planet, move it to the other side of the phase lane then jump it back. Do this until he is finally able to kill it. The second way (an the best if you use phase inhibitors) is when you see that fleet jumping towards you, because you were smart and researched that ability for 400 credits and 25 crystal, jump it back towards their planet. By the time they see it the ship will have a head start towards the next planet. This will either compel them to send ships back, or will delay the reinforcement while they track it down and kill it. The third way requires you to have the money to build one, but works great too. You will start building one to try to get your opponent to focus his fire on it instead of your ships. While he is doing that you are killing his ships but he isn't killing yours. Just before your starbase dies, scuttle it and get the majority of your money back. Never let a building SB die, always scuttle it for money!!!! Then you will be mostly on your way to having enough money for another one.
4. Using the Orky. Oh wait that isn't under used at all 
. I do like the orky though for finishing off people who turtle at their home planet. Build it right next to your cap's for protection, upgrade it until it out matches theirs, then send it over for the kill. This is the best way to kill a repulse user because it doesn't rely on strike craft.
As far as RA, overseers, subverters, enforcers and so on... They don't use phase missiles so I don't build that many of them. Remember the two steps to winning mid to late game vasari...
1. Upgrade phase missiles
2. Use phase missiles
(3. Don't let an advent opponent survive long enough to get to late game tactics)
As always your thoughts are welcome.
