Ori shields do block it, but I recall at least one instance of shielded ships recieving rings, for example Apophis' two motherships that first attacked earth.

Also, creating the ilusion of difficulty is not about providing a direct counter to everything a player does. Ultimately, players are going to triumph, it is the nature of RPs for the players to win, excepting when that player actually prefers to lose. Far more enjoyment is gained by creating a plan to counter a situation and then watching it unfold. Difficluty is added when, in the process of carrying out the plan, stuff goes wrong. Sometimes this must be added by the GM, but more often than not players actually create difficulty for themselves.