For me I use standard if I know I will win. I use mini soldiers if I think it will be close and I want to know I'll win. I use mass drivers if I think the AI has a huge advantage in terms of numbers or soldier rating. I use Tidal if I want to wipe the planet clean so I can trade it to someone else after I conquer it. I've only used information a couple of times.

If I want to nerf the troops I send in a small amount of my own and use Mass Drivers.
Because you only loose PQ if you win.

This is kind of unbalanced because I can send 500 troops at a 22B pop planet and mass driver them down to like 5B in only one run.

But yeah I only use Standard, Info, and Mini-Soldiers. Since Meta Games are based mainly on Population, any reduction in PQ is un-acceptable as it means less people it can hold

And I LOVE to use Mini-Soldiers on those planets with like 500 farms or embassies on them
But usually my luck results in the Manufacturing Capital (or some other Super/Galactic Achievement) being the ONLY building destroyed

I mass driver planets at end game if I know I am going to win anyhow and just want to crush the living daylights out of the enemy

I only ever make '1 troop module' transports (500 troops). I then 'soften' up the planet with mass drivers, and take it with traditional warefare when I'm in a position to do so.

Though it really hurts when you get 'lucky' and take a planet with mass drivers (Triple whammy: Low Pop, big chuck of improvments gone AND lower PQ).

I only ever make '1 troop module' transports (500 troops). I then 'soften' up the planet with mass drivers, and take it with traditional warefare when I'm in a position to do so.

That is a good strategy. A VERY good strategy. So good I might even call it an exploit.

If I weren't already planning on using it, that is

I always use mass drivers near the end because I just want to take the AI's planets as quickly as possible with the least amount of transports to force a surrender. After all the game will be over before you get those planets online anyway and sometimes I will use an empty transport to pickup the population and destroy the colony on a world I just took to keep maintenances cost down.

I used this tatic in my last game a "Battle of the Gods" where I was at war with the Arceans, Torians and the Drath at the same time. I had destroyed all of their fleets but they had something like 70 planets between with huge pops on them.

Once I got transport production running I was taking anywhere from 5 to 10 worlds a turn.

The Arceans outright surrendered after I took 7 of their worlds in a turn the Trorians surrendered their worlds to the Drath and the Drath surrendered when I had them down to 5 worlds.

Teach them to brag about how virtuous they are while planting influence bases next to my home world.

* Mass drivers against heavily populated worlds, where 500 troops isn't going to win . As noted this hs no effect if you don't win. 200 BC is pretty steep though early game. I once bankrupted myself, this way in an early game with invasion techs. Also start using mass drivers at the end game, when i dont care what happens, just mopping up.

*Standard - If I an win easily. Zero cost is good.

*Mini soldiers - My default tactic, for big worlds that won't go down to standard tactics, even if I have superior soldiers.

I never use

*Tidal - Way too destructive, and in general Mass drivers give better advantages.

*Info - Too expensive, for little use... I find it usually isnt sufficient to sway the battle so unless you want the extra population...