Help for character build

[Rothe_]

A basic fighter could be very effective with rain of steel active. Tough job to escape him, and if you don't, it will hurt a lot. Add in ranger multiclass for extra damage, or cleric for a heal. Fighters also have some utilities for healing themselves, which could come very handy.

Look for good dailies for one-on-one fights. Daily powers are probably very good in this kind of situations, if you are essentially fighting only a single fight per day.

 

[Dreadite]

I just ran an Arena combat centered game (2v2 and 1v1 teams), and the runaway winners ended out being a Hybrid Avenger/Cleric and a Cleric.

The Avenger/Cleric in particular was extremely difficult to take down. Accurate, strong, high defenses, and the ability to continue to fight long after their foes run out of stamina thanks to very nice healing utilities.

Barbarian also feels VERY cool in one on one combat. Early Paragon they just feel unstoppable, particularly if you pick powers that let them fight until they're truly dead.

Ultimately, it does depend on the feel you want as well. The gladiator article features some pretty cool multiclass feats for something a bit more complicated, as well.