Gollum Question

[ISBPathfinder]

I don't know if we know or need to wait for set rulings but I was curious on Gollum, Patient Plotter if he can sacrifice himself or in general use his sacrifice ability while in play. If he were to sacrifice himself would he come back to hand assuming he even can do that?

[void_nothing]

No. This activated ability can only be activated while Gollum, Patient Plotter is in your graveyard, because its effect moves the card itself from the graveyard to another zone (CR 113.6m).

[ISBPathfinder]

Thanks, I felt like there were some similar effects that existed that specified that they had to be in the graveyard but honestly I can't figure out any off the top of my head to compare verbiage. It feels like a bit of shortcutting to imply that instead of put it on the card but its fine. Thanks for the ruling.

[void_nothing]

Well, it's not really a shortcut - there's an entire rule about it.

An ability whose cost or effect specifies that it moves the object it's on out of a particular zone functions only in that zone, unless its trigger condition or a previous part of its cost or effect specifies that the object is put into that zone or, if the object is an Aura, that the object it enchants leaves the battlefield. The same is true if the effect of that ability creates a delayed triggered ability whose effect moves the object out of a particular zone.