Hello ryansgt,
What you describe is a standard flood and drain system. The reason you haven't seen it much is because you haven't been looking in the right places. If you go to a ford dealership all your going to see is a ford, but there are many other cars out there.
Everybody has there preferences (including me), so I gather that the flood table flood and drain system is the preference of the people's who's systems you have seen. But that doesn't mean that's the only flood and drain design. Here is a page that explains
three main types of flood and drain systems. While it may not look exactly the same, the type of flood and drain system you describe building is essentially the same as the first one covered ("Plant containers in series design") on the page.
Regardless of how it looks or it's designed, all flood and drain systems have one thing in common. The root system is intermittently flooded with
nutrient solution, then drained. Hence the term "Flood & Drain (ebb & flow).