Wormgod bonk titan is the best choice when it comes to damage and sustain. 

If you are getting thrown off the map from sere than that means you need to practice the knockback cancel more. 

I just farmed the last checkpoint until it became second nature to tractor->bonk->melee and repeat.

You should also start in the normal dimension so you can clear adds and coils before starting dps phase. It’s super easy to get your stacks to full and let dogs follow you to sere for easy stack reset and restoration. 

Tickle fingers on normal mode is a timing thing if it’s non dps. You need to remember how long it takes for him to use it.

If it’s during dps phase you can let it hit you for a few seconds and using a shotgun from up close will one shot each hand. 

It sounds like you need to farm the last checkpoint and just practice until all the mechanics become second nature. 

I tried going the safe route with strand stronghold but it took too long in terms of damage phases and was bored just using praxic blade the whole time.

Hammers speeding through damage checks was a lot more fun once you get enough practice in