Different units indeed have advantages. That's why you make an Atlantis to deal with barracudas or t3 sub hunters. Doesn't really matter to me if it gets an intel buff honestly but it still serves a role against late game sub spam while cooper is ass. Though I didn't really get to gauge if the new changes make cooper decent or not.
Micro against salem is click to each side every second. All destros are the same speed and all frigates are faster. You catch it and if it needs to turn away it loses 90% of its dps so it dies. It having more range just means you click for 3 seconds longer. It's some of the easiest micro to learn in the game because salem shoots at a constant rhythm unlike something like aeon destro.