Lots of variables at play here, and there are tradeoffs involved. 
If you want short cells you would avoid protected cells, and you need to monitor the cell voltage closely to avoid problems.
The “most mah” ususally comes at the cost of high current ability or voltage sag - sometimes both.
What do you mean by “high drain”? A 4A load on one cell is higher drain the same load on two or three cells.
I try to match cells to my particular application:
My house light is an XPG in a P60 at 1A on high. I just use pack pulls for this.
An older C8 XM-L draws 3A on high but is never used more than 15 minutes at a time. An Aw LMR 1600 works well.
A new XM-L2 P60 use for walks needs higher voltage and good current. Sanyo 2600’s hold their voltage longer but don’t have the best capacity. But I take short walks. :bigsmile:
My J18 wants lots of current and isn’t picky about voltage ’cause it’s a buck driver with three cells in series. Some Pana PDs worked well until I got some KKs.
My point is that it’s almost impossible to get the highest current, voltage and capacity available in one package for a reasonable price. I think you’d be doing well to get two out of three. Someone already suggested using HKJ’s cell comparator, and I second that. It can help you pick horses for your courses.