M has that video where he uses a spear for a while, and does rather well. But for a 1v1 the stun isnt that useful, and the stagger is unreliable. I believe there are 1h duelists, but 1h animations are quite wack, one of the impressive changes crpg did was the rightswing change which was a huge buff.
Greatsword has its pure feel, it just seems like the right duelling weapon.