I like it, but I'm not exactly a power user and the only other distros I've used are Ubuntu and mint. I think if you want a Debian based distro that's not tied to Ubuntu then Mx is a good choice. I know there's LMDE too but as far as I know that's only available with cinnamon, so Mx having KDE plasma is nice too.
There's the whole sysvinit Vs systemd but I don't have a dog in that fight and enabled systemd, which Mx makes very easy even though they advise against it.
Had a very similar experience at the end of last year. Was sick of the bullshit all the providers were pulling and set up jellyfin.
Now running that on a pi so we've got our own streaming platform with movies and shows that you'd either need at least three separate services for or just outright won't find if you don't pirate.