In anticipation of uhcs coming out on cubecraft I've decided to make a very simple guide to how uhcs work in 1.9 combat and what changes as I've played a couple with friends.
Priorities
The basic priorities stay the same for the most part: get as many apples as possible, get iron armor, try to get an enchanting table, enchant all of your gear, get bows/arrows, and possibly go to the nether but one thing that should be your main priority at the start of a UHC is getting a shield. Shields may not be that good in pvp but are god for pve. Having trouble with op 1.9 skeletons? Shield them. Creeper sneek up on you? Shield it and take a fraction of the damage. Not only that but they are very useful in the final UHC fights which usually have long bow battles. With shields you can for e your opponent to go for mellee which you may be stronger in than bows or maybe you don't have a bow at all and need to mellee. This will be even more apparent in 1.11 where (as of current snapshots) reduce 100% of all damage if your block is successful meaning creepers deal no damage if block or zombies or even players. Now that I'm done with shields there is one other thing you want right off the bat in a 1.9 UHC and that's a stone axe. Axes are IMO the best weapon against mobs as they're not really going to combo you if you fail a hit xD. Also in pvp initiating the fight with a stone axe crit is devastating to your opponent and helped me beat opponents that are way more skilled than I. Now dungeons were always a risk but very much worth it. Now dungeons are the only way to get you notch apples which are even better for UHCs with their added absorbtion.
What to avoid
1. Skeletons - now a shield can let you handle one skeleton without taking any damage but two skeletons and you will take damage. Most other mobs are easy to crit out with an axe as creepers and zombies are two shot but skeletons strafe which can get around your shield and can throw off your aim.
Fire arrows - if by some chance your opponent or a skeleton has a flame bow the best thing to do is to shoot them with your own bow or simply run. Flame arrows go through shields so blocking wont help much.
3. Polar bears - not too dangerous but you don't want to end up as that guy who died to a polar bear. But if you do have the rare chance of finding a polar bear simply avoid it if there is a cub they will attack you and will catch up to you.
4. Witches - can't block potions so these are especially dangerous if there is any other mob nearby.
A couple strategies
I have only played a few 1.9 uhcs as there is no place to find them other than getting my friend to run one on his private server but I think I have a couple stategies :P
Offhanding
Shields are usually your best bet but lava buckets, mlg water buckets, plain blocks, bows, and golden apples are also good items to have in your offhand. In 1.11 fishing rods can be used in the offhand which means they can be used to drag out opponent to mellee and possible make them take fall damage.
Generated structures:
Going for any generated structure is useful except mineshafts. Getting a saddle will let you use a horse which is op with a bow. Dungeons and strongholds have the most useful items but even an igloo can give you a possible weakness splash potion, a golden apple, and a possibly useful villager. Villages, desert temples, and jungle temples should always be gone after as they pose no threat to you (other than other players may be there).
Useful biomes:
You may want to know where a plains is so you can get a horse. Ice plains are useful for igloos and desert will give you the most structures usually. More biomes have villages in 1.10 so even wandering through a spruce forest may lead you to a village. But there is one biome in 1.9 that you must go to if you find one (if you have food) and that is the Mesa as it spawns so much gold you won't know what to do with it :D
Thanks for reading I may add more as I think up stuff :D
Priorities
The basic priorities stay the same for the most part: get as many apples as possible, get iron armor, try to get an enchanting table, enchant all of your gear, get bows/arrows, and possibly go to the nether but one thing that should be your main priority at the start of a UHC is getting a shield. Shields may not be that good in pvp but are god for pve. Having trouble with op 1.9 skeletons? Shield them. Creeper sneek up on you? Shield it and take a fraction of the damage. Not only that but they are very useful in the final UHC fights which usually have long bow battles. With shields you can for e your opponent to go for mellee which you may be stronger in than bows or maybe you don't have a bow at all and need to mellee. This will be even more apparent in 1.11 where (as of current snapshots) reduce 100% of all damage if your block is successful meaning creepers deal no damage if block or zombies or even players. Now that I'm done with shields there is one other thing you want right off the bat in a 1.9 UHC and that's a stone axe. Axes are IMO the best weapon against mobs as they're not really going to combo you if you fail a hit xD. Also in pvp initiating the fight with a stone axe crit is devastating to your opponent and helped me beat opponents that are way more skilled than I. Now dungeons were always a risk but very much worth it. Now dungeons are the only way to get you notch apples which are even better for UHCs with their added absorbtion.
What to avoid
1. Skeletons - now a shield can let you handle one skeleton without taking any damage but two skeletons and you will take damage. Most other mobs are easy to crit out with an axe as creepers and zombies are two shot but skeletons strafe which can get around your shield and can throw off your aim.
Fire arrows - if by some chance your opponent or a skeleton has a flame bow the best thing to do is to shoot them with your own bow or simply run. Flame arrows go through shields so blocking wont help much.
3. Polar bears - not too dangerous but you don't want to end up as that guy who died to a polar bear. But if you do have the rare chance of finding a polar bear simply avoid it if there is a cub they will attack you and will catch up to you.
4. Witches - can't block potions so these are especially dangerous if there is any other mob nearby.
A couple strategies
I have only played a few 1.9 uhcs as there is no place to find them other than getting my friend to run one on his private server but I think I have a couple stategies :P
Offhanding
Shields are usually your best bet but lava buckets, mlg water buckets, plain blocks, bows, and golden apples are also good items to have in your offhand. In 1.11 fishing rods can be used in the offhand which means they can be used to drag out opponent to mellee and possible make them take fall damage.
Generated structures:
Going for any generated structure is useful except mineshafts. Getting a saddle will let you use a horse which is op with a bow. Dungeons and strongholds have the most useful items but even an igloo can give you a possible weakness splash potion, a golden apple, and a possibly useful villager. Villages, desert temples, and jungle temples should always be gone after as they pose no threat to you (other than other players may be there).
Useful biomes:
You may want to know where a plains is so you can get a horse. Ice plains are useful for igloos and desert will give you the most structures usually. More biomes have villages in 1.10 so even wandering through a spruce forest may lead you to a village. But there is one biome in 1.9 that you must go to if you find one (if you have food) and that is the Mesa as it spawns so much gold you won't know what to do with it :D
Thanks for reading I may add more as I think up stuff :D