I'm a huge fan of this game, and when I learned that the Jian was an optional weapon class, I was sold. I love the stories of the 3 kingdoms (Chinese ancient history), and my two favorite weapons have always been the Jian and the Guan Dao. I'm not sure how a polearm would fit into this in terms of balance, but I think that it would be an interesting addition if added.
Just for those who don't know what a Guan Dao is, it was used by a famous Chinese historical figure named Guan Yu. The weapon is a pole-arm with a crescent shaped thick blade at the end.
Pretty moving pictures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNnntDgXl8g#t=2785https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNnntDgXl8g#t=278
This type of weapon typically weighed between 18 to 50kg, making a blow devastating to opponents. The downside to such a weapon of course is its weight and length, making it poor for fighting in narrow spaces and slower than swords to wield due to its weight. It was also prone to creating openings that could be taken advantage of by adept swordsman.
So what do you think Michael Chang? Will we see them in the future?