What Kind of armor for an INT/Dex/Str Trapper Shadow?

All,

TL/DR: whats the best armor type for a hybrid trapper fire mage with decent dex and str also?

I am making a Shadow who is strongest in his INT stat, but still medium in Dex and Str. This is because I plan to take Bear Trap and Fire Trap and Searing Totem all the way up, but aside from that I'm focusing on Fire Spells (Firestorm in particular).

Basically I am an artificer and my skill needs will keep all my stats pretty high, but highest for intelligence.

I am not doing anything fancy regarding mana shields or keystone interactions, in terms of mana regen or energy shield or life etc. Its my first character. I'm just playing it right down the middle, or in a straightforward fashion.

It may succeed or fail, but either way, I am wondering: Should I go for Armor, Evasion, Energy Shield, or some kind of blended armor approach on such a character?

I am not sure if I am going dual totems or not eventually, but even though I havent done so yet, I already do no direct damage. Just Bear Trap, Fire Trap, Decoy Totem and Firestorm. No direct damage. I mention this in case my playstyle may impact the kind of armor you think I should be wearing.

Thanks!

TL/DR: whats the best armor type for a hybrid trapper fire mage with decent dex and str also?

Also, is a trapper shadow viable in cruel and merciless?

Thanks!

It depends on what you're most worried about - each of the three defense types has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Armor's best when you're taking lots of (presumably smaller) hits, say, from a swarm of monkeys.
Evasion's best when you're dealing with attacks that deal more than just physical damage, or a few hard-hitting opponents at once - for example, Brutus. Contrary to popular belief, evasion is not streaky.
Energy shield's best when you're dealing with spellcasters or burst damage - when you can avoid taking damage and so let it recharge without pressure on your flasks (most spells can be manually avoided).

As for traps, I haven't built a trapper myself, but I understand they can be quite powerful with the right supports and passives (burn damage comes to mind).

Ok. Hard-hitting bosses give me the most problem so maybe I will go for evasion gear.

Thanks!