I have been in the same situation for the past 2 weeks. I have been looking for a laptop that gets good battery life but can also play low to mid demand games. While searching this forum, I found pretty much the same stereotypical responses. But with my own time and research, I found 3 that I think fit the bill for the most part.
1. ASUS ZenBook Pro (UX550VE) (≈$1,699.00): This laptop has a 7700HQ and a 1050 Ti. Reviews have said that it can get hot and throttle up to 20%, but benchmarks have it around other laptops. If you buy it from HIDevolution and select one of their thermal solutions it might help, but I have no experience with that and cannot say for sure. The battery life is as follows from notebookcheck.net's review:
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness): 17h 03min
NBC WiFi Websurfing Battery Test 1.3: 8h 52min
Load (maximum brightness): 1h 10min
Additional notes: It comes in all black aluminum and royal blue, but the royal blue is an Asia exclusive and will need to be imported.
2. Dell Inspiron 15 7000 (dndnf510s) (≈$1,149.99): This laptop is pretty much perfect. It has a 7700HQ and a 1050 Ti (can go up to a 1060, but then battery life takes a dip). The only thing wrong with it is the display. Reviews say that it is 'bluish' and has poor contrast. It also follows in the red and black 'gamer' theme that I personally am not fond of, but you may not mind. The battery life is as follows from notebookcheck.net's review:
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness): 19h 34min
WiFi Surfing v1.3: 10h 22min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p: 7h 35min
Load (maximum brightness): 1h 21min
3. Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15", i7, 16GB, 256GB) (≈ 2,499.00): While this is above your price range, I think it is valuable to include just in case something changes. It has an i7-8650U and a GTX 1060. Reviews say that it is loud at load, takes a long time to charge, and that the power adapter isn't sufficient. Keep in mind if you are going to buy this, you better pick the right amount of storage because it is a completely sealed unit. The battery life is as follows from engadget.com's review:
Idle: 20h 50min
Local Video Playback: 17h
Load: 5h