The TomCat/Phoenix combo was only good against incoming bombers (read: relatively unmaneuverable targets). It did not work so well against high-energy fighters at anything near the Phoenix's touted distance. There is a good reason the Phoenix was discontinued.
Additionally, nowadays there are long-range missiles that are very effective at the limits of their range. The AMRAAM (D version) is the best long-range AAM the US currently has, and is significantly better than the Phoenix ever could be. Looking outside the US, the Meteor BVRAAM by the Europeans is the best long-range AAM available in the world today, has a range that rivals the Phoenix, but more importantly has a pK (probability of kill) that is magnitudes higher than anything the Phoenix could even think of. It is not about range but rather the pK and the type of engagement envelop a missile has. The Phoenix was a great missile at its given task of engaging incoming Russian bombers at the very edge of engagement distance of the anti-ship cruise missiles the bombers may have been trying to shoot down the carrier with - and at that specific job the Phoenix was not bad - but as a universal AAM it was really bad at engaging something faster/more nimber like a fighter.
Missiles like the Meteor have the range, the energy and high pK.
I read somewhere that if you had enough time, the best way to evade an enemy missile is to make 2 sharp turns (I forget if you had to turn in any specific direction)
Probably not too often would you have enough time I guess.