How would others interpret this card working with Nathaniel Cho's special ability: "When you deal damage to an enemy by an event or a fight ability on an event: Deal 1 additional damage. (Limit once per phase.)"
Only ONE of the engaged monsters will take an extra damage from Cho? Or ALL of the engaged monsters will?
Other, wiser reviewers may find sophisticated uses for this card, but I'll be considering only the obvious use -- to make some dough doing what you were gonna do anyway. Obviously, as a seeker, this is an easy card to play. Investigate your location, grab a couple resources. The question: is this benefit substantial enough for this card to deserve a place in your deck?
Maybe...?
First of all, let's keep context in mind. This is part of a starter deck designed to welcome new players to the game. A card with a nice simple effect like this is definitely beginner-friendly. It'll almost never be a dead draw, there are no complicated interactions to work out, no need to check the FAQ.
Also, there is a small advantage to getting the resources before you do the check. That means you can instantly spend them to boost something like Higher Education or Hyperawareness. I'm not sure how often this would matter -- pretty much only when you're broke, it seems -- but it's better than getting those same resources after the check, and definitely better than those resources being contingent on a successful check.
All the same, I have a hard time seeing a deck in which the Midnight Oil would be more effective that Crack the Case, which can easily net you 3 or 4 resources for the same action economy, and in some situations, more. The Midnight Oil might be handier in the first turn, helping you get down some pricier assets, but after that, it seems less bang for your buck, or fewer bucks for your bang, or something.
Verdict: I'm glad this card exists, because it's simple and user-friendly. It makes perfect sense as part of an entry-level deck you can snag for $15. But for players interested in optimizing their decks, and who have invested in a fuller collection, there are better options.
This card goes so much better with a Fire Axe + Dark Horse build Survivors. Other versions have to balance the +1 damage and +1 stat with the flexibility from Lucky!, but this version does not have that restriction since it can be played at 0 resources! To top it off, we get an extra +1 and can play it on friends to boot.
Fantastic.
About even with Ward of Protection, and we know how often that sees play. You are spared the Horror, but the cancellation isn't certain. Leaving Calvin Wright out of it, only Silas Marsh starts with a below 3, with the Remaining investigators split evenly between 3 and 4, so a (3) test shouldn't be insurmountable for most of the Survivors (and it could save Calvin from a late game Horror Treachery...). I wouldn't say that this is an auto-include, but it's certainly a useful tool in the Survivor toolchest.
I like this card better than A Test of Will (1); I'm not sure the consistency is worth the Exiling, unless you are worried about a specific game-ruining Treachery or are leaning heavily into Exile with Déjà Vu. I think I would feel worse about missing the test on A Test of Will (2) than I would on this version.
Outside Survivor, I doubt Agnes Baker or Marie Lambeau want it (unless they are doing some sort of "shut down the encounter deck" strategy). Finn Edwards and Preston Fairmont surely don't. I suppose William Yorick or Tommy Muldoon could combo it with "Fool me once..." to blank an event and cancel the next instance, too. Minh Thi Phan probably prefers Dr. William T. Maleson or Forewarned. A Tony Morgan too soft-hearted for "You handle this one!" might like this card better.
Setup question: is the second attempt part of the same action, or a second action that has its action cost waived? This leads to the real question: How does this interact with Quick Learner? Quick guess: it's like Drawing Thin in that if you use it in your first action you'll get -1 to both attempts (-1 +2 = +1 for the second go). This would be true if both attempts are considered part of your first action. However if the second attempt is a second action whose cost has already been covered (including the action cost), then L&L is now a full +2. Flavor-wise the second makes sense as you are benefiting from learning quickly.