Mercs are notoriously easy to MC, too, meaning you can take them on before you even get plasteel munitions, and with minimal exposure to their reaction fire, which is damn accurate. Having a merc reaction fire a mininuke into your ship isn't fun.
Once you get yourself a 70 skill, 70 power bugeye, you can MC pretty much anyone who isn't specially resistant to voodoo by giving them a dose or two of panic beforehand. Don't even think about MCing exalts, provosts, reverends, most reticulans, star gods, etc, though.