Wide range and gaps can work on a mtb. I have 13-40 8 speed, but toyed with 15-40 7 speed. I couldn’t live with no top end so swapped out the freehub for an 8-10 speed and went 13-40.
But a 13-16-20-24-30-36-42 is not bad on a mtb or a touring type bike.
Shimano used to have a 7 speed “K” cassette that went …20-24-29-34.
I’ve run a …20-23-26-32 in a 7.
Much of it depends on foregoing some performance for range.
John