Hmm... well, I tried answering that recently over on Reddit, then saw the poor guy die a bunch playing my suggestions.
Lemme see if I can think of any better ones, but until then, you can see if you had better luck with the ones I suggested there:
Eye of the Dragon/Fire/Mind: Strong close range AE potential, as well as a multi-target Panic effect. Remember to try and use Fire Breath before using other abilities, since the damage dealt is based on your SP. Also, the Gandayah's Tireless ability, which raises MaxSP, raises the damage potential of Fire Breath, and makes for a good pick up.
Good starting pets would be Malingee, Echeneis, or Zombie. Recommended leveling pattern: +2 Ma, +1 Vit, +1 Agl, +1 Cun.
Hand of the Dead/Slash/Mind: Maul hits twice, and thus gets two chances per use to trigger Terrifying's +Panic effect. Yellow Whisper may seem redundant at first, but remember that it is a free action. It also has a much higher chance to stick. Thus, it can be useful when you want to try and Panic two targets in one turn (Whisper one, Maul the other), or when you absolutely need to Panic one target (Whisper + Maul.) Good starting pets would be Will o' Wisp, Echeneis, or Zombie. Recommended leveling pattern: +1 Str, +2 Vit, +1 Agl, +1 Cun.
Orb of Power/Mind/Electricity: A heavy nuker build that manages to avoid using Agility, leaving more points for other stats. The Mind attacks have low damage, but don't need clear lines of fire, and the AE version hits every enemy in range while ignoring allies. Storm Strike is a bit unreliable, but will be a good answer to the early Mind-resistant/immune enemies. When choosing new spells, try to stick to ones that "Cannot miss" so you can continue to avoid needing Agility. Good starting pets would be Red Cap, Will o' Wisp, Malingee, or Echeneis. Recommended leveling pattern: +3 Ma, +1 Vit, +1 Cun
Hand of the Dead/Dark/Heal: Use Wraith Touch constantly to steal maxHP from enemies, which will help Oppressor's defensive benefit to stay active. It may actually be useful to distribute damage among multiple targets to help that as well, since any enemy with less HP hurts you less due to Oppressor. Back off for a bit when Healing Factor triggers so it can fill you back up to safe HP levels. The key is keeping your MaxHP as high as possible: keeping a healer pet out to refill HP between fights for faster resting will help considerably. Good starting pets include: Faerie, Will o' Wisp, Zombie, Echeneis. Recommended leveling pattern: +2 Ma, +2 Vit, +1 Agl. (Can sub 1 Ma or 1 Vit for 1 Cun if you want to get into using status effects.)
Iron Dragon: Eye of the Dragon/Impact/Pierce. Mighty Roar and Stunning Blow can both inflict Stun: Stunned enemies are always hit when attacked, which negates Eat Alive's 50% accuracy penalty, turning it into a very powerful attack that also heals you (as long as the target doesn't resist Body.) Starting pets of note would be Faerie, Echeneis, Freybug, and Zombie. Recommended leveling pattern: +1 Str, +2 Vit, +1 Agl, +1 Cun. Extra note: The 50% accuracy penalty on Eat Alive can also be overcome by other means... if an enemy has been Chilled and Evasion Down'd, and your character has been Accuracy buffed, you may find Eat Alive can hit very often even without Stun.