Quick winning principles
- Treat outbreaks as the real loss condition, not cube supply.
- Scientist cures with 4 cards; always feed them matching colors.
- Operations Expert builds research stations before anyone travels.
- Cure all four before eradicating any color.
Ideal strategy
- 1
Outbreak cascade math: each outbreak adds 3-8 cubes in chain; cap at 6 total outbreaks by midgame through proactive cube removal, not reactive firefighting.
- 2
Role action sequencing: Medic clears 2+ cubes per action in hotspot; Researcher feeds Scientist; Dispatcher enables Medic double-moves.
- 3
Cure tempo: cure at 5-6 outbreaks, not 3—curing doesn't reduce board pressure; cube removal does.
- 4
Infection deck forecasting: when 3+ epidemic cards remain, hold 2 cards of each color before drawing—epidemic spikes kill unprepared tables.
- 5
Endgame eradication trap: eradicating one color before all four cures wastes actions—complete all cures first, then eradicate in one sweep.