Essential Oil

Essential Oil is a passive item that increases the amount of Ballwark (armor/shield) the player gains. When any effect grants Ballwark, Essential Oil adds +1 additional stack to the amount granted, effectively amplifying all sources of armor for the duration of that grant.

Essential Oil interacts with every mechanic that awards Ballwark, including relics, abilities, potions, or other items that grant armor. Its bonus is applied at the moment Ballwark is granted, so multi-instance or multi-stack grants benefit from an extra +1 per grant event rather than per point of armor.

• The item was introduced in version v0.9.01. A later, undefined version increased the base Ballwark granted by the item from +1 to +2 in some build history, but the canonical in-game effect documented in current files is +1 extra Ballwark per grant.
• Essential Oil is most valuable in decks or builds that repeatedly generate Ballwark through many small grants rather than a single large grant, since each grant receives the full +1 bonus.
• Stacking methods that produce multiple separate Ballwark gains (for example, multiple triggers or multi-hit effects that each award armor) multiply the benefit because each trigger receives the +1 increase.
• Essential Oil pairs well with cards and items that convert other resources into Ballwark or that grant Ballwark on-hit, as it raises the floor of every such gain.
• Because the bonus applies at grant time, it also benefits temporary or conditional armor (for example, armor that lasts one turn) in the same way as permanent armor grants.