Yeah agreed its a subject that gets people agitated lol.
I love CDI, if I had no ECU bullshit to contend with I'd run a magneto
we are very limited with this modern rubbish.
Very high energy and long duration ignitions can run richer than 8:1 AFR and 150% water to fuel ratio's.
Most I have ever been able to experiment with is ~9.5:1 AFR and 60% water to fuel ratio's on my own design COP CDI system. It's a real limitation having to tune for the inadequacy of spark power rather than to maximize reliability & power.
Its no fucking different in glow plug 2 strokes IMHO, I do that as a hobby (bit obsessive I know!) and the same applies, you run a glow plug that is hot and it can take far far more fuel (richness) and you can make a shit load more power than you can on a lean mixture (yes I do data log it lol!) all the while being far more reliable and cooler on the engine. Being able to initiate the ignition event is the most critical aspect, if this cant be done your just chasing your tail and setting up the engine to suit your ign limitations and this is the wrong way to set up any engine.