While you could play it with a crafted staff that grants chance to poison on hit it wouldn’t be that strong by far. The staff makes all the difference and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t receive a nerf soon. Maybe some new Unique could replace it in the future but that remains to be seen 
For other ways to build Sentinel classes you can have a look here: Misha's Sentinel Guide 0.7.7
I for example enjoyed shield throw builds that use smite with an idol on all 3 sentinel classes.