"Don't let anything prevent you from experimenting with other ways." - Serge Lang
Duels between Monk and Dragoon specifically can get quite fun because there are a few things to be mindful of.
For the Dragoon, Geirskogul's Life of the Dragon Effect: Increases damage dealt and damage suffered by 25% and Horrid Roar's Effect: Reduces damage target deals to you by 50%.
For the monk, Monk Earth's Reply deals physical damage to all nearby enemies and restores your HP. Damage Potency: 2,000 plus 25% of compiled damage.
Cure Potency: 4,000 plus 50% of compiled damage
want to be blocking as much damage with Riddle of Earth during burst, usually during Geirskogul then pressing Earth's Reply while the Dragoon is still under the effect 25% more damage taken. Taking advantage of all these tiny potency gains is vital for consistently winning duels
until you start playing around with line of sight