you're missing the point
I'm also missing your point.
Having as many shades as possible? I'm all for the effect. You can get a really nice product out of it. It's just that as you add to your build, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage and more often than not it all becomes a mess. There's too much to work with. The less shades you have to work with the more manageable your projects will be.
And let's face it: from a distance everything just blurs together anyways. I'm not saying that I don't like that subtle difference that you notice if you're right up close - in fact, I really do.
To me, it just isn't worth it. I'd like a colorset that is easy to manage that still allows you to get that nice effect out of it, which I believe is entirely possible.
With a smaller amount of shades and more slots open for colors, I don't see why you
wouldn't want to go and include the basic colors as a final column. When used, they would provide a devastatingly beautiful contrast to the bleakness of whatever you create.