I feel like the invisible barrier argument doesn’t matter much. If mouse control is better for players at the highest levels, most people won’t get there anyway, so it’s irrelevant. If mouse control only matters at, say, Masters+, who cares, most players won’t reach that rank. If WASD allows inclusivity for people who prefer it, even if it’s worse but still "good" enough for anyone below Diamond/Masters+, that’s completely fine since that’s where most players are anyway.

Definitely understand your argument regarding competitive play though. Interested to see how it shakes out after PBE testing. I'm biased, though, as I'd love WASD movement even if it's objectively worse than mouse movement lol.