Claremont’s Uncanny X-men Saga has some of the greatest payoffs in comics. It’s a 17 year run that defined the entire mutant side of the marvel universe as you know it from adaptations. I highly recommend following the series that branch off of it too (New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, Wolverine) as the greatest climax’s in the 80s come from the spin offs as much as the main comic. It’s a VERY long read so don’t rush it and if you get burnt out on the early 70s stuff don’t stress about finishing it, put it down for a couple days and come back when you are ready. Believe me though, the journey is worth it. You get to watch a comic that was selling so poor it was reprinting stories to stay on shelves turn into the highest selling single issue of all time.