diff --git a/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/Engine/SessionBattleEngine.cs b/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/Engine/SessionBattleEngine.cs
index a198da8..ef5d2d3 100644
--- a/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/Engine/SessionBattleEngine.cs
+++ b/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/Engine/SessionBattleEngine.cs
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ internal sealed class SessionBattleEngine
     /// evolve spends one EP, so the evolve test asserts this decrements by 1. EP is granted at setup by
     /// the engine's <c>SetupEvolCount</c> (2 for the game-first seat, 3 for the second) and unlocks once
     /// <c>EvolveWaitTurnCount</c> has counted down (M-HC-4b).</summary>
-    public int Ep(bool playerSeat) => Seat(playerSeat).CurrentEpCount;
+    public int EpCount(bool playerSeat) => Seat(playerSeat).CurrentEpCount;
 
     /// <summary>Turns remaining until <paramref name="playerSeat"/> may evolve
     /// (<see cref="BattlePlayerBase.EvolveWaitTurnCount"/>); 0 means evolve is unlocked. Lets a test ramp to
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/HeadlessConductorTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/HeadlessConductorTests.cs
index 7b37fa6..3459bf8 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/HeadlessConductorTests.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/HeadlessConductorTests.cs
@@ -461,24 +461,13 @@ public class HeadlessConductorTests
         int attackerIdx = harness.InPlayCardIndex(playerSeat: true, boardPos: 0);
 
         // --- ramp seat A to the turn its evolve unlocks (EvolveWaitTurnCount counts down per seat-A turn) ---
-        // End turn 1 first (TurnEnd sets NowTurnEvol = true, the other CanEvolution precondition), then
-        // alternate A/B TurnStart/TurnEnd until seat A's EvolveWaitTurnCount reaches 0, leaving seat A's
-        // turn OPEN. A guard bounds the loop so a never-unlocking bug fails loud instead of hanging.
+        // End turn 1 first (TurnEnd sets NowTurnEvol = true, the other CanEvolution precondition), then ramp.
         Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnEnd, TurnEndBody(), isPlayerSeat: true).Accepted, Is.True, "turn1 TurnEnd");
-        bool seatA = false; // next TurnStart is seat B's
-        int guard = 0;
-        while (harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) > 0)
-        {
-            Assert.That(++guard, Is.LessThan(20), "evolve never unlocked — EvolveWaitTurnCount stuck > 0");
-            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnStart, TurnStartBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnStart");
-            if (seatA && harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) == 0) break; // leave seat A's turn open
-            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnEnd, TurnEndBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnEnd");
-            seatA = !seatA;
-        }
+        RampSeatAToEvolveTurn(harness);
 
         // EP precondition: seat A holds at least 1 evolve point and evolve is now unlocked.
         Assert.That(harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true), Is.EqualTo(0), "evolve unlocked on seat A's turn");
-        int epBefore = harness.Ep(playerSeat: true);
+        int epBefore = harness.EpCount(playerSeat: true);
         Assert.That(epBefore, Is.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(1), "seat A must hold >= 1 EP before evolving");
 
         // Pre-evolve stats: the un-evolved vanilla is 1/2 and not yet flagged evolved.
@@ -499,7 +488,7 @@ public class HeadlessConductorTests
             "evolved atk must equal the card's evo_atk (3) — base 1 + evolve delta +2");
         Assert.That(harness.InPlayCardLife(playerSeat: true, boardPos: 0), Is.EqualTo(evolvedLife),
             "evolved life must equal the card's evo_life (4) — base 2 + evolve delta +2");
-        Assert.That(harness.Ep(playerSeat: true), Is.EqualTo(epBefore - 1),
+        Assert.That(harness.EpCount(playerSeat: true), Is.EqualTo(epBefore - 1),
             "an evolve must spend exactly one evolve point");
     }
 
@@ -923,6 +912,24 @@ public class HeadlessConductorTests
         }
     }
 
+    // Ramp seat A to the turn its evolve unlocks (seat A's EvolveWaitTurnCount counts down per seat-A turn),
+    // leaving seat A's turn OPEN. Caller must have already ended seat A's first turn (TurnEnd sets
+    // NowTurnEvol = true, the other CanEvolution precondition) so the next TurnStart is seat B's. A guard
+    // bounds the loop so a never-unlocking bug fails loud instead of hanging.
+    private static void RampSeatAToEvolveTurn(NodeNativeBattleHarness harness)
+    {
+        bool seatA = false; // next TurnStart is seat B's
+        int guard = 0;
+        while (harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) > 0)
+        {
+            Assert.That(++guard, Is.LessThan(20), "evolve never unlocked — EvolveWaitTurnCount stuck > 0");
+            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnStart, TurnStartBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnStart");
+            if (seatA && harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) == 0) break; // leave seat A's turn open
+            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnEnd, TurnEndBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnEnd");
+            seatA = !seatA;
+        }
+    }
+
     [Test]
     public void Real_spell_charge_drops_engine_cost_and_count_no_seam()
     {
@@ -1094,25 +1101,13 @@ public class HeadlessConductorTests
 
         // --- ramp seat A to the turn its evolve unlocks (mirrors Evolve_resolves_on_engine_state_headless) ---
         Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnEnd, TurnEndBody(), isPlayerSeat: true).Accepted, Is.True, "turn1 TurnEnd");
-        bool seatA = false; // next TurnStart is seat B's
-        int guard = 0;
-        while (harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) > 0)
-        {
-            Assert.That(++guard, Is.LessThan(20), "evolve never unlocked — EvolveWaitTurnCount stuck > 0");
-            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnStart, TurnStartBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnStart");
-            if (seatA && harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true) == 0) break; // leave seat A's turn open
-            Assert.That(harness.Push(NetworkBattleUri.TurnEnd, TurnEndBody(), isPlayerSeat: seatA).Accepted, Is.True, "ramp TurnEnd");
-            seatA = !seatA;
-        }
+        RampSeatAToEvolveTurn(harness);
         Assert.That(harness.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat: true), Is.EqualTo(0), "evolve unlocked on seat A's turn");
-        Assert.That(harness.Ep(playerSeat: true), Is.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(1), "seat A must hold >= 1 EP before evolving");
+        Assert.That(harness.EpCount(playerSeat: true), Is.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(1), "seat A must hold >= 1 EP before evolving");
 
         // The reducer must be IN HAND across the evolve (its when_evolve_other skill is scanned off the hand).
         int reducerHandIdx = FindHandIdxByCardId(harness, BoardDependentCostCardId);
         Assert.That(reducerHandIdx, Is.GreaterThan(0), "the board-dependent cost-reducer must be in seat A's hand at the evolve");
-        Assert.That(harness.HandCardId(playerSeat: true,
-                FindHandPosByEngineIdx(harness, reducerHandIdx)), Is.EqualTo((int)BoardDependentCostCardId),
-            "located the reducer by identity");
 
         // PRE-EVOLVE pin (non-vacuity + causation baseline): the reducer resolves to its BASE cost (6) while
         // no follower has evolved yet. Read it WHILE in hand by its engine Index.
@@ -1395,14 +1390,4 @@ public class HeadlessConductorTests
         Assert.That(tokenIdx, Is.EqualTo(0),
             "FINDING: the autonomous token_draw seats the chosen token at engine Index 0 headless — not addressable by a wire idx");
     }
-
-    // The hand POSITION (0-based) of the seat-A hand card with the given engine Index, or -1. Lets a test
-    // re-derive a HandCardId(seat, pos) lookup from an engine Index it already located by identity.
-    private static int FindHandPosByEngineIdx(NodeNativeBattleHarness harness, int engineIdx)
-    {
-        for (int i = 0; i < harness.HandCount(playerSeat: true); i++)
-            if (harness.HandCardIndex(playerSeat: true, i) == engineIdx)
-                return i;
-        return -1;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/NodeNativeBattleHarness.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/NodeNativeBattleHarness.cs
index 4634df3..cbac8a5 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/NodeNativeBattleHarness.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/NodeNativeBattleHarness.cs
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ internal sealed class NodeNativeBattleHarness : IDisposable
     public bool IsEvolved(bool playerSeat, int boardPos) => Engine.IsEvolved(playerSeat, boardPos);
 
     /// <summary>The seat's current evolve-point count (M-HC-4b). An evolve spends one EP.</summary>
-    public int Ep(bool playerSeat) => Engine.Ep(playerSeat);
+    public int EpCount(bool playerSeat) => Engine.EpCount(playerSeat);
 
     /// <summary>Turns remaining until the seat may evolve (0 == unlocked) (M-HC-4b).</summary>
     public int EvolveWaitTurnCount(bool playerSeat) => Engine.EvolveWaitTurnCount(playerSeat);