[quote=@Legion02]
Okay so I was thinking about a sword-cutting-sword a little and realized... that's hella impractical to block, don't you think? Like imagine someone tries an overhead strike down towards you and you hold your blade horizontal to block? Well, the lower half with the hilt just keeps going and MAYBE hits something. But that upper half? Yeah that's definitely going to leave a mark on the blocker.
[/quote]

Yeah it's impractical, and there are times when a bronze sword had killed a defender for being too soft. The Upper half went over harmlessly, but the bottom half of the bronze sword carved them open.

Which is why I like the Shard Blades design. It only cuts through materials when it's in motion. If held steady, it blocks. And in the story, shard blades often deflected other swords by using the flat. That's if bearer didn't immediately cut the weapon to size before it got too close.

But it's also a double edged sword as it has it's own problems. The length of the sword is between a two hander and a long sword. But the hilt is usually designed with that of a one hander. While it's light, it still has weight, and swinging it uncontrollably will get you killed. And probably kill your friends if they didn't give you any room.

There's also the problem that stepping into the swing basically disengages the primary threat, and like all other swords, it can still be caught by the flat of the blade. Being lighter, and swung no where near as hard... it's doable.