1.9 pre 4 has a bug,I can kill mobs far with my sword.
Hitting things far away is part of Creative Mode. Try on Survival.
The old moon is still included in the game files, and we have access to the old sun. Could someone do some quick edits of the old moon to have phases as part of a texture pack and a replacement sun? By the time I do this, someone else will have already done it and I'll look like a bastard... He should make a sun phases even though it doesn't exactly work like that (in phases, more like eclipse times).
Anyone have a seed that spawns you above a stronghold with a portal in it?
Strongholds do not spawn randomly. They spawn at radius's away from the spawn. I think even with infinite Strongholds,
None will spawn so close.