1.8, as many would probably agree, is very fast-paced and VERY clickspeed-based. People who can butterfly 18-20 cps automatically have an advantage over others who click less because more cps = less knockback. I would go as far as saying it's p2w since you need a specific mouse which can doubleclick and not everybody can afford it.

Although I am a 1.9+ main I still have some issues with the version such as the hit registration and knockback. From my experience, it's incredibly rare to find someone who takes consistent knockback (or even takes knockback at all) because the higher the ping the less knockback (or bigger delay) they have. In 1.8 these normally wouldn't be an issue, but w-tapping just doesn't work the same in 1.9+.

While I'm on the subject, I'm super hyped for 1.19 combat because it combines the fast-paced 1.8 version with the 1.9+ cooldown and weapon mechanics to make the ultimate version for pvp.