You have the power of giving.

One may use the Cosmic Zap to stop the Philanthropists charity just as it is in the process of giving away a pod (when it's animation is active). Using a zap to stop the Philanthropist from giving away a pod would normally seem futile and wasteful unless it is clearly its last pod and/or it's about to win the game. Occasionally though, the Philanthropist will use its power to empty its console of its last and usually weakest encounter pod, thus allowing itself to gain seven new pods in the middle of an encounter (discarding any artifacts). 

 What better way to manipulate the game than to decide which pods your opponents should and should not have; the power of charity can be greatly underestimated especially if you know just how to abuse it. No one likes being the Zombie when someone else is loading him up with Negotiate pods, or being the Tripler when you're loading him up with 12s. When you're the Anti-Matter and "Phil" keeps handing you pods like the 23, 20 or 18, he can be quite a merciless nuisance! Truly, it is better to give than to receive.

 To make the best of the Philanthropist, one must have a clear understanding of what all of the other "pod-based" powers can do: the Sorcerer switch, the Anti-matters negation, the Tripler's ability to alter pods, etc. Be sure you know what you're up against before you just throw out pods or it may be your undoing.

 Ally with the other players as often as possible, even if it's just with one ship. Get rid of the weaker pods in your console as much as possible. The more pods you give away, the sooner you can get new ones. The sooner you get new pods, the greater your chances are at getting better ones.

 It may be a good idea to keep a note of which exceptional pods have been used already (40, 30, -4, Emotion Control, the Cosmic Zaps...) and then keep an eye open for the recycling of the Salvaged pods which go into the Source at certain intervals in the game. You can slow down the rate at which other players get new pods while increasing your own.

 When you are down to your last encounter pod, it may be best to hang on to it until you are a main player in the challenge. Surprising an opponent with a loaded console of 7 brand new pods is one of the Philanthropists best moves. Having an artifact or two to discard helps to conceal your intentions to perform this maneuver. Try to be sure both zaps are either spent or are not in the opposing sides hands when you attempt to pull this one off.

 Don't be afraid to give away a good pod in order to get a base and especially if it will save the game. If your ally informs you that his pods aren't so great or if you know your ally has a bunch of garbage that you gave him, chances are good that he will play a 20 or 30 to obtain a base if you you send it his way.  

 If you cripple another player with useless pods, someone might go to him for the winning encounter and Force Field you out! Try to keep all of your opponents loaded with equal amounts of garbage, weaker than you but strong enough to hold each other off.

 Be careful with sending N pods to the Loser, Machine, Pacifist and Sorcerer. That can be suicidal. Meanwhile keep the big guys like Macron, Virus, Warpish and Warrior loaded with low pods and/or N pods. Try to keep the Trader happy; if you send him the 23 or 30, he will most likely use it against your 40 without trading. If Anti-Matter, Loser or Sorcerer are in the game, the lower pods are very valuable, so use your best judgment on who gets what. Try to refrain from sending too many pods to the Machine and the Clone in general. If they get their hands on some really good pods, all of the pods you send them only protect them from compensation and the Plague. I've witnessed this terrible foolishness in a very costly tournament game.

Play negotiate pods against the Philanthropist. After all, he is the connoisseur of the encounter pods. He keeps the best and throws out the rest.

 Don't waste a Cosmic Zap on the Philanthropist, he's relatively painless. However, if either of you are trying to get new pods and it's getting near to the end of the game, zap 'im!

 Either 1) don't invite the Philanthropist or 2) help him out with his giving powers. 1) If he isn't involved in a challenge, he cannot use his power. However, your opponent may easily ruin that for you. 2) Say thank you; be nice to the Philanthropist. If you upset him too much, your opponent may receive the 40 the next time he comes to face you. If you keep reminding Phil throughout the game that he's your buddy and invite him, your other opponents will probably get the worst of the pods he gives out.

 Don't be surprised if you're the Anti-Matter and Phil sends a 30 your way. A good Philanthropist knows what pods can cripple you.

 Make a deal with Phil. If you're trying to get rid of some ugly pods to get some new ones and Phil just keeps sending over more and more nasties one pod at a time, try to make a deal with the him: "You can have a base if you stop sending me this garbage..."