Some people talk about what they know and some people talk about what the think they know.
Anyway archery has not became more about skill. Archer always has been a conundrum or luck and skill. Until recently skill has been on the higher end of the scale...now it is reversed. I've shot, watched the arrow fly, and 20 minutes later as it is about to hit and 15 people have ran through its flight path; thought to myself "oh %$#^!!!" and it hits a tm meleeplayer who unknowingly ran into its arc. OK maybe a little over the top.
In xbow duels I notice some are not really that far behind me in loading. I don't know if the nerf has affected hitboxes or not, but yesterday I watched 9 (true) arrows go through a guy guarding the flag, granted my ping was almost 200...but wow.
Everybody quotes shooting 18 arrows a minute, that may be possible. For true archers who draw, aim, pick a target, draw, aim, pick a target again, etc. I would venture to say it is much less. I won't get into the xbow comparison.........yet.