diff --git a/web/src/components/BattlePhase.tsx b/web/src/components/BattlePhase.tsx
index 0182865..8b0d5e7 100644
--- a/web/src/components/BattlePhase.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/BattlePhase.tsx
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ interface SideVis {
   pending: Card[] // foods revealed (or prepped) waiting for a pet
   unit: UnitVis | null
   setAside: Card[] // fainted pets kept beside the arena with a pending effect
+  // Ids of cards (set-aside pets or spent food perks) released this step: kept
+  // in their arrays for one beat so they can animate out, cleared next event.
+  leaving: string[]
 }
 
 // Milliseconds each event type stays on screen during playback.
@@ -57,10 +60,24 @@ const appleCount = (foods: Card[]) => foods.filter((f) => f.food === 'apple').le
 // seat's visual state. Units that died in the last applied event are still
 // present with dying=true so they can animate out.
 function replay(events: BattleEvent[], stackSizes: number[], upto: number): SideVis[] {
-  const sides: SideVis[] = stackSizes.map((n) => ({ stack: n, pending: [], unit: null, setAside: [] }))
+  const sides: SideVis[] = stackSizes.map((n) => ({
+    stack: n,
+    pending: [],
+    unit: null,
+    setAside: [],
+    leaving: [],
+  }))
   for (let k = 0; k < upto && k < events.length; k++) {
     for (const s of sides) {
       if (s.unit?.dying) s.unit = null // clear last step's casualties
+      if (s.leaving.length) {
+        // Drop cards that finished animating out last step.
+        const gone = new Set(s.leaving)
+        s.setAside = s.setAside.filter((c) => !gone.has(c.id))
+        if (s.unit) s.unit.foods = s.unit.foods.filter((c) => !gone.has(c.id))
+        s.pending = s.pending.filter((c) => !gone.has(c.id))
+        s.leaving = []
+      }
     }
     const ev = events[k]
     switch (ev.type) {
@@ -152,12 +169,10 @@ function replay(events: BattleEvent[], stackSizes: number[], upto: number): Side
         break
       case 'release': {
         // A spent card leaves the play area: a set-aside pet (Turtle) or a
-        // used-up food perk (Melon), which lives in the pet's food fan.
-        const s = sides[ev.seat!]
+        // used-up food perk (Melon), which lives in the pet's food fan. Flag it
+        // rather than removing it, so it animates out before unmounting.
         const id = ev.card?.id
-        s.setAside = s.setAside.filter((c) => c.id !== id)
-        if (s.unit) s.unit.foods = s.unit.foods.filter((c) => c.id !== id)
-        s.pending = s.pending.filter((c) => c.id !== id)
+        if (id) sides[ev.seat!].leaving.push(id)
         break
       }
     }
@@ -327,7 +342,12 @@ export function BattlePhase({ view, send, step, setStep }: Props) {
     const setAsideEl = s.setAside.length > 0 && (
       <div className="setaside-row">
         {s.setAside.map((c) => (
-          <CardView key={c.id} card={c} size="sm" />
+          <div
+            key={c.id}
+            className={`setaside-card ${s.leaving.includes(c.id) ? 'is-leaving' : ''}`}
+          >
+            <CardView card={c} size="sm" />
+          </div>
         ))}
       </div>
     )
@@ -339,7 +359,11 @@ export function BattlePhase({ view, send, step, setStep }: Props) {
     const foodFanEl = foods.length > 0 && (
       <div className="food-fan">
         {foods.map((f, i) => (
-          <div key={f.id} className="food-fan-card" style={{ zIndex: i + 1 }}>
+          <div
+            key={f.id}
+            className={`food-fan-card ${s.leaving.includes(f.id) ? 'is-leaving' : ''}`}
+            style={{ zIndex: i + 1 }}
+          >
             <CardView card={f} size="sm" />
           </div>
         ))}
diff --git a/web/src/components/CardView.tsx b/web/src/components/CardView.tsx
index cec8e7c..1bd9c89 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CardView.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/CardView.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,35 @@
-import { useState } from 'react'
+import { useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { createPortal } from 'react-dom'
 import type { Card } from '../types'
 import { artFor } from '../petArt'
 
+// useFitText shrinks the effect text until it fits its band, so long abilities
+// (and the smaller battle cards) render in full instead of being clipped by
+// the fixed card height. It never grows past the CSS size, only shrinks toward
+// a small floor, and re-fits when the band resizes (breakpoints, battle mode).
+function useFitText(dep: unknown) {
+  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    const el = ref.current
+    if (!el) return
+    const fit = () => {
+      el.style.fontSize = ''
+      let size = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(el).fontSize)
+      const min = 6
+      // Guard the loop; each step is 0.5px so ~40 covers any realistic band.
+      for (let i = 0; i < 40 && el.scrollHeight > el.clientHeight && size > min; i++) {
+        size = Math.max(min, size - 0.5)
+        el.style.fontSize = `${size}px`
+      }
+    }
+    fit()
+    const ro = new ResizeObserver(fit)
+    ro.observe(el)
+    return () => ro.disconnect()
+  }, [dep])
+  return ref
+}
+
 interface Props {
   card: Card
   size?: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg'
@@ -39,6 +66,9 @@ export function CardView({
   // preview copy itself opts out so it can't recurse.
   const [hover, setHover] = useState<{ x: number; y: number } | null>(null)
   const power = (card.power ?? 0) + bonus
+  // Shrink long ability text to fit the (fixed-height) card, re-fitting when
+  // the text or card size changes. Only the branch that renders attaches it.
+  const effectRef = useFitText(`${size}|${card.effectText ?? ''}|${card.food ?? ''}`)
   const classes = [
     'card',
     `card-${size}`,
@@ -89,14 +119,18 @@ export function CardView({
       <div className="card-name">{card.name}</div>
       {card.kind === 'pet' ? (
         <>
-          {card.effectText && <div className="card-effect">{card.effectText}</div>}
+          {card.effectText && (
+            <div className="card-effect" ref={effectRef}>
+              {card.effectText}
+            </div>
+          )}
           <div className="card-bottom">
             <span className={`card-power ${bonus > 0 ? 'is-buffed' : ''}`}>{power}</span>
             {damage > 0 && !dead && <span className="card-damage">−{damage}</span>}
           </div>
         </>
       ) : (
-        <div className="card-effect">
+        <div className="card-effect" ref={effectRef}>
           {card.effectText ?? (card.food === 'apple' ? '+1 power (this battle)' : '')}
         </div>
       )}
diff --git a/web/src/styles.css b/web/src/styles.css
index 1aee67e..842bee9 100644
--- a/web/src/styles.css
+++ b/web/src/styles.css
@@ -854,9 +854,10 @@ h3 {
   width: 14px;
   height: 14px;
   border-radius: 50%;
-  border: 1.5px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
   vertical-align: middle;
+  /* Inset ring instead of a real border — see .card-power. */
   box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1.5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3),
     inset 0 1.5px 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6),
     inset 0 -2px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25);
 }
@@ -879,14 +880,17 @@ h3 {
   background: radial-gradient(circle at 35% 28%, #ffcf6b, var(--coral-dark));
   color: #fff;
   text-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(120, 45, 5, 0.55);
-  border: 2px solid rgba(120, 45, 5, 0.35);
   border-radius: 50%;
   width: 31px;
   height: 31px;
   display: grid;
   place-items: center;
   font-size: 0.98rem;
+  /* The rim is drawn with an inset ring rather than a real border: a
+     border-radius:50% element with a semi-transparent border renders a
+     visible seam at its 6 o'clock point in Chromium (scale-invariant). */
   box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 2px rgba(120, 45, 5, 0.35),
     inset 0 1.5px 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55),
     inset 0 -2px 3px rgba(120, 45, 5, 0.4),
     0 2px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
@@ -894,9 +898,9 @@ h3 {
 
 .card-power.is-buffed {
   background: radial-gradient(circle at 35% 28%, #9ff0af, #1f9e55);
-  border-color: rgba(15, 80, 40, 0.4);
   text-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(15, 60, 30, 0.55);
   box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 2px rgba(15, 80, 40, 0.4),
     inset 0 1.5px 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55),
     inset 0 -2px 3px rgba(15, 80, 40, 0.4),
     0 0 8px rgba(80, 220, 120, 0.5);
@@ -1434,6 +1438,22 @@ h3 {
   margin-top: -88px;
 }
 
+/* Released cards (a spent set-aside pet, or a used-up food perk) shrink and
+   fade out over their release step rather than vanishing instantly. The step
+   lasts 500ms (EVENT_MS.release), so the 400ms exit finishes before unmount. */
+@keyframes card-leave {
+  to {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: scale(0.55) translateY(-8px);
+  }
+}
+
+.setaside-card.is-leaving,
+.food-fan-card.is-leaving {
+  animation: card-leave 400ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.7, 0.4) forwards;
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+
 .battle-unit {
   position: relative;
   flex-shrink: 0;
@@ -1444,6 +1464,13 @@ h3 {
   height: 132px;
 }
 
+/* Battle cards are short, so give the ability text more of the card by
+   shrinking the decorative art; useFitText then keeps the text at a larger
+   size before it has to shrink to fit. */
+.battle-unit .card-art {
+  font-size: 1.5rem;
+}
+
 @keyframes unit-reveal {
   from {
     opacity: 0;
@@ -1835,7 +1862,10 @@ h3 {
   color: var(--cream);
   border: 2px solid var(--cocoa);
   border-right: none;
-  border-radius: 8px 0 0 8px;
+  /* The button is flipped 180° (below) to read text upward, which also flips
+     these corners — so round the right pair here to land rounded corners on
+     the inner (screen-facing) edge after the rotation. */
+  border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;
   font-weight: 800;
   font-size: 0.8rem;
   padding: 8px 10px;