How does Cithria's buff ability work when played alone, when playing units after her, and when a buff is expended from her?

Ruling: Cithria does not buff herself when played alone. She only gains a buff when you play another unit after her, and only if she doesn't already have a buff. A unit can only have one buff at a time (except Lee Sin).

Sequence:

  • When Cithria is played alone, she does not gain a buff
  • When you play another unit after Cithria is on the board, she gains a +1 buff (if she doesn't already have one)
  • If you play multiple units after Cithria, she can continuously buff herself, but only maintains 1 buff at a time
  • If a buff is expended from Cithria, she can regain a buff when another unit is played

Nuances:

  • The reminder text "if I don't have a buff, I get a +1 buff" explains what "buff me" means, not that she instantly gets a buff when lacking one
  • A "buff" is a specific game term - general +1 might increases are not buffs unless the card specifically says "buff"
  • Only cards that specifically say "buff" count as buffs, which are restricted to 1 per unit