Thank you for the detail summary.
But it's ofc good to run your own node, as it makes the community grow as people see a lot of activity and also for you to make a bigger profit if you can get major EMC holders to stake with you.
I was running one from the beginning, getting staking rewards regularly. I used to get 3/4 blocks on average a day but I don’t have my laptop now. It’s having a bug and I sent it for servicing. That's why I thought for an alternative way as my coins are idle now. Apart from that, I think I should get more blocks a day as I'm holding quite a good amounts now.