Official ruleBase game (Z-Man, 2013 edition)
Does the research station have to match the disease color to cure in Pandemic?
NoShort answer
No. You can discover a cure at any research station. Discard 5 City cards of the disease's color (4 for the Scientist). The station's city color doesn't matter.
The rule:
In Pandemic, you can discover a cure at any research station: the station’s city color doesn’t have to match the disease. You just discard 5 City cards of that disease’s color, or 4 if you’re the Scientist.
Discover a Cure is one action:
- Be in any city with a research station.
- Discard 5 City cards of the same color. The Scientist needs only 4.
- Move that disease’s cure marker to its Cure Indicator.
If no cubes of that color are on the board at that moment, the disease is immediately eradicated too.
Example:
Kai is at the research station in Atlanta, a blue city, with 5 yellow City cards. He can cure yellow there as 1 action.
Why players argue about it:
It feels like you should cure a disease where it lives. The rules only require a research station and the right cards.