Once a creature that has reach because of Sphere Grid's last ability has blocked a creature, removing all +1/+1 counters from that creature or causing Sphere Grid to leave the battlefield won't cause that creature to stop blocking
I have already built a Commander deck around New-Sheoldred and it includes Mono-Black Group Hug like Howling Mine, mass card draw like Dark Deal, and lifegain matters cards like Vito
While its less true than it used to be (thanks to FIRE design, cards designed for Best of 1, and increased modality/card draw in general), its still a key part of gameplay and it feels like what this mechanic, and in particular, gifting a card, was designed around
You can also use Animation ModuleAnimation Module to create Servos, and sacrifice them for mana
You can get some extra rares and mythics in some sets that have special configurations like Strixhaven s Mystical Archive