http://mojang.com/2016/02/minecraft-19-combat-update/
The arrow struck the shield with a impactful “thud!”. Steve peeked around
the shield’s edge and saw the arrow was wrapped in a note! Steve excitedly
pulled it loose to see what it said…
“You’re happy you had that shield, aren’t you?”
And yes, Steve was pretty happy.
Minecraft has been updated to 1.9! It contains a lot of changes. Most
remarkably, the combat mechanics have been updated to make fighting more
interesting and offer more map-making options. Here’s a almost complete list
of the new and changed features:
Added shields
Attacking now has a “cool-down” delay, making it more important to time
your attacks
You can now hold items in both hands (default quick key to swap items is
‘F’)
Swords have a special sweep attack
Axes have a special crushing blow attack
Added the elytra
New mob: Shulker
Expanded The End
Added Chorus plants
New Purpur blocks
New End Rod block
Added dragon head block
Ender Dragon can be resummoned
Added beetroot and beetroot soup (from MC:PE)
Added grass path block
Added igloos
Armor protection values have been lowered
Added tipped arrows
Added spectral arrows
Added Frost Walker enchantment and frosted ice block
Added a whole bunch of new sound effects
Added sound effect subtitles
Brewing Stand now requires Blaze Powder to activate
Added skeleton riders
We believe we’ve fixed MC-10 and a whole bunch of other issues
Removed Herobrine