diff --git a/src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/sea.js b/src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/sea.js
index ec23845..9f00a0a 100644
--- a/src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/sea.js
+++ b/src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/sea.js
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ var SeaDeal = (function () {
         slot.classList.remove('sea-card-slot--empty');
         slot.classList.add('sea-card-slot--filled');
         slot.classList.add(isLevity ? 'sea-card-slot--levity' : 'sea-card-slot--gravity');
+        if (card.reversed) slot.classList.add('sea-card-slot--reversed');
+        // Long Roman numerals (XVIII / XXIII / XXVIII / XXXIII / XXXVIII /
+        // XLIII / XLVIII) need horizontal squeezing to fit the slot — see SCSS.
+        if ((card.corner_rank || '').length >= 5) slot.classList.add('sea-card-slot--rank-long');
         slot.dataset.cardId  = String(card.id);
         slot.dataset.posKey  = posSelector;
         slot.innerHTML =
@@ -101,6 +105,13 @@ var SeaDeal = (function () {
         _viewingPos = posSelector;
         _seaHand[posSelector] = { card: card, isLevity: isLevity };
         _populate(card, isLevity);
+        // Server pre-rolled the reversal axis at deck-fetch time
+        // (apps.epic.utils.stack_reversal_probability). Honor it here so the
+        // card lands face-reversed if rolled.
+        if (card.reversed) {
+            statBlock.classList.add('is-reversed');
+            stageCard.classList.add('stage-card--reversed');
+        }
         _fillSlot(posSelector, card, isLevity);
         _showStage(isLevity);
     }
diff --git a/src/apps/epic/utils.py b/src/apps/epic/utils.py
index ae55ba1..89b7559 100644
--- a/src/apps/epic/utils.py
+++ b/src/apps/epic/utils.py
@@ -3,6 +3,28 @@ from django.db.models import Q
 from apps.epic.models import Room, RoomInvite
 
 
+# ── Game-wide constants ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Reversal probability applied to any card pulled from a stack, anywhere in
+# the game (PICK SEA initially; future phases — gameplay draws etc. — will
+# share this single source of truth). Stub for a future per-user profile
+# override: callers MUST go through stack_reversal_probability(user, room)
+# rather than referencing the constant directly so the user-config hookup is
+# a one-line change inside the helper.
+STACK_REVERSAL_PROBABILITY = 0.25
+
+
+def stack_reversal_probability(user=None, room=None):
+    """Reversal probability for a draw stack in this user's context.
+
+    Current behavior: returns the module default for everyone. Plumbing point
+    for a forthcoming per-user setting — when that lands, swap the body to
+    something like `return getattr(user.profile, 'reversal_rate', STACK_REVERSAL_PROBABILITY)`
+    and every call site picks up the per-user value automatically.
+    """
+    return STACK_REVERSAL_PROBABILITY
+
+
+
 def _planet_house(degree, cusps):
     """Return 1-based house number for a planet at ecliptic degree.
 
diff --git a/src/apps/epic/views.py b/src/apps/epic/views.py
index 94e4e23..4602d6d 100644
--- a/src/apps/epic/views.py
+++ b/src/apps/epic/views.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from apps.epic.models import (
     active_sig_seat, debit_token, levity_sig_cards, gravity_sig_cards,
     select_token, sig_deck_cards,
 )
-from apps.epic.utils import _compute_distinctions, _planet_house
+from apps.epic.utils import _compute_distinctions, _planet_house, stack_reversal_probability
 from apps.lyric.models import Token
 
 
@@ -402,6 +402,9 @@ def room_view(request, room_id):
     ctx = _role_select_context(room, request.user)
     ctx["room"] = room
     ctx["page_class"] = "page-gameboard"
+    # Reversal-rate hint label under PICK SEA's SPREAD select — same helper as
+    # sea_partial so the value tracks any future per-user override automatically.
+    ctx["stack_reversal_pct"] = int(round(stack_reversal_probability(request.user, room) * 100))
     return render(request, "apps/gameboard/room.html", ctx)
 
 
@@ -1132,6 +1135,11 @@ def sea_deck(request, room_id):
         .values_list('significator_id', flat=True)
     )
 
+    # Roll reversal eagerly during the shuffle — the deck order is fully
+    # determined at phase start, so the reversal axis should be too. Future
+    # per-user-profile config rides this same helper.
+    reversal_prob = stack_reversal_probability(request.user, room)
+
     def _card_dict(c):
         return {
             'id': c.id,
@@ -1157,6 +1165,8 @@ def sea_deck(request, room_id):
             'keywords_reversed': c.keywords_reversed,
             'energies': c.energies,
             'operations': c.operations,
+            # Pre-rolled reversal axis — server-deterministic, client just reads
+            'reversed': _random.random() < reversal_prob,
         }
 
     available = list(
@@ -1178,5 +1188,10 @@ def sea_partial(request, room_id):
     if not ctx.get('sky_confirmed'):
         return HttpResponse(status=403)
     ctx['room'] = room
+    # Reversal-rate hint label under SPREAD — both the percentage AND the raw
+    # probability flow from the same helper, so when per-user config lands we
+    # only swap the helper body and every render picks it up.
+    _prob = stack_reversal_probability(request.user, room)
+    ctx['stack_reversal_pct'] = int(round(_prob * 100))
     return render(request, 'apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html', ctx)
 
diff --git a/src/static_src/scss/_card-deck.scss b/src/static_src/scss/_card-deck.scss
index 5ce5fad..7f84935 100644
--- a/src/static_src/scss/_card-deck.scss
+++ b/src/static_src/scss/_card-deck.scss
@@ -1053,6 +1053,28 @@ $sea-card-h: 6.5rem;
     border-color: rgba(var(--secUser), 0.6);
 }
 
+// Reversed — pre-rolled by sea_deck server-side. Rotate the whole slot
+// (background + border + content) so the rank/icon stacking order also
+// flips (rank-top + icon-bottom upright → icon-top + rank-bottom reversed),
+// not just each character upside-down in place.
+.sea-card-slot--reversed { transform: rotate(180deg); }
+
+// Cross-position adds 90° already; reversed cross combines to 270°. Higher
+// specificity than the .sea-pos-cross .sea-card-slot rule so it wins.
+.sea-pos-cross .sea-card-slot--reversed { transform: rotate(270deg); }
+
+// Long Roman numerals (≥ 5 chars: XVIII, XXIII, XXVIII, XXXIII, XXXVIII,
+// XLIII, XLVIII) — squeeze horizontally via scaleX so they fit the slot
+// without dropping font-size (height stays the same). Class added in
+// _fillSlot when card.corner_rank.length >= 5. Slot-level reversed rotation
+// already carries the rank along, so scaleX is the only inner transform
+// regardless of reversal state.
+.sea-card-slot--rank-long .fan-corner-rank {
+    display: inline-block;
+    transform: scaleX(0.7);
+    letter-spacing: -0.05em;
+}
+
 // Deposited — fully opaque by default; Cover/Cross are semi-transparent
 .sea-card-slot--visible { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 1s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease; }
 
@@ -1188,6 +1210,16 @@ $sea-card-h: 6.5rem;
     label { font-size: 0.75rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.05em; opacity: 0.7; }
 }
 
+// Forthcoming-feature hint between SPREAD label and the combobox; rendered
+// value comes from apps.epic.utils.stack_reversal_probability via the view
+// context.
+.sea-reversal-hint {
+    font-size: 0.7rem;
+    opacity: 0.55;
+    margin: -0.1rem 0 0;
+    font-style: italic;
+}
+
 // Custom combobox replacement for native <select>. See combobox.js for the
 // expected markup; SCSS owns all visuals because the OS-native dropdown ignored
 // option background/color anyway.
diff --git a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
index 5f230b2..553e32d 100644
--- a/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
+++ b/src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_sea_overlay.html
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 
         <header class="sea-modal-header">
             <h2>PICK <span>SEA</span></h2>
-            <p>Draw cards to circumscribe your character's influences and seed the Voronoi map.</p>
+            <p>Draw +6 cards to describe your character's influences and seed the game-map.</p>
         </header>
 
         <div class="sea-modal-body">
@@ -63,6 +63,13 @@
                 <div class="sea-form-main">
                     <div class="sea-field">
                         <label for="id_sea_spread" id="id_sea_spread_label">Spread</label>
+                        {% comment %}
+                            Reversal-rate hint — `stack_reversal_pct` flows from
+                            apps.epic.utils.stack_reversal_probability via the
+                            view. Currently a module default; placeholder UI for
+                            a forthcoming per-user setting.
+                        {% endcomment %}
+                        <p class="sea-reversal-hint">{{ stack_reversal_pct|default:25 }}% reversals</p>
                         {% comment %}
                             Custom combobox — native <select> dropdowns ignore most CSS on
                             Firefox/Chrome (OS-rendered list); this gives full styling control.