Everyone unknowledged in the field of 1.8 and supports 1.9 always says "strafing in 1.9 requires more skill and actually matters" I think this is bullshnitzel because movement in 1.8 actually is harder. In 1.8 you need to constantly be hovering over your opponent so while you strafe you need to constantly be fixing your aim. In 1.9 however while using an axe you only need to hover over them once a second. And when it comes to swords only twice a second. This is to not forget strafing is harder to make an impact. Because a person clicking 10 cps has 10 opportunities to hit you while you are in range for a second it is especially important to dodge all 10 of those hits. W tapping is also especially important in 1.8. It positions yourself in a place that is right outside their reach and makes you deal more knockback to them.
It should also be mentioned that on a completely flat surface all 1.9 combos are based off of latency. In a 0 ping environment (aka split screen) combos in 1.9 simply don't exist. The only reason they happen is because the way hitboxes are in front of where the actual player are when they get hit back. Whenever you hit a player in 1.9 for the second time they are basically always on the ground or at least close enough that neither of you get a reach advantage.
These were just some arguments against 1.9.
It should also be mentioned that on a completely flat surface all 1.9 combos are based off of latency. In a 0 ping environment (aka split screen) combos in 1.9 simply don't exist. The only reason they happen is because the way hitboxes are in front of where the actual player are when they get hit back. Whenever you hit a player in 1.9 for the second time they are basically always on the ground or at least close enough that neither of you get a reach advantage.
These were just some arguments against 1.9.
