A nerfed version of Monster Reborn. 

Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth

A LV5 Synchro. It doesn't have much competition. It has the damage-step negating Armades and the monster-destroying Catastor. There's also junk like Magical Android and glibly usable ones like X-Saber Wayne, but this is the 3^rd best LV5 after Catastor and Armades. There's also Hyper Librarian for those synchro spammy decks.

There's not a lot of LV5 Synchro's, so this card stands out. At the same time, because of that, decks generally aren't centering themselves around LV5 Synchro's as they do with LV's 6-8. So, often times this will just be splashed in a tight Extra Deck. 

Dragons/Rulersworns can revive big beaters and Shaddolls can bring back Nephilim with Hedgehog and Falco which is always cool. You can also revive your opponent's monsters, but you can't count on them having a monster you necessarily want. 

At the same time, a 2600 defense wall can drive some decks crazy and its not a bad way to consolidate floaters. Note: It only needs to be sent to revive. So more discreet non-destruction cards like Black Ship of Corn better be careful. Still, there are so many ways to take out a card without destroying it. 

Assessments 

Power – 4/5 ; I certainly see a free Special Summon with no battle phase restriction 

Versatility – 3/5 ; Depends on whether you want to play defensively or not. 

Dependability – 3/5 ; Depends on having a full graveyard, which is not a hard to meet standard. 

Card Advantage – 4/5 ; Is a solid 2600 defender and when removed, you net a monster of your choice. 

Speed – 2/5 ; In order to get the revival effect, you generally have to wait a turn (or at least until your Battle Phase, if you're willing to take a lot of battle damage and risk ramming into a D. Prison) 

Ratings 

Traditional – 1/5 ; With Premature Burial and Monster Reborn legal, and it being a faster format, this card is obsolete.

Advanced – 2.75/5 ; Won't see a ton of play, but that's not to say it will be without use.

Mechanic Design – 3/5 ; I always like seeing more LV5 Synchro's and revival options that aren't broken, but they could've done a little more with this one.

Artwork – 4/5 ; Nice variety of blues with shining white. There's also an ankh in this picture , which shows we've come some way since it was censored in Monster Reborn. 

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Verdict 

A slow-ish LV5 revival Synchro that's not for most decks but will find its niche somewhere. 

Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth
 
At first glance Samsara really doesn’t look as though it would be useful for all that much, however when you start to consider how useful this may actually be able to be, if you can find ways to effectively use this card you may change your mind.
 
The most obvious way to me is that you Summon it attack into something bigger, take damage and then after that use this card essentially like a Monster Reborn. Against some match-ups this could prove to be annoying, however to best use this cards effect you must be prepared to take damage, and chances are this is going to be quite a bit since Samsara only has a piddly 100 ATK! This is by far the best way to use this card as I see it. The only real problem with this here is that you require sufficient remaining Lifepoints to be able to use it’s effect by attacking. And if it doesn’t all pan out like you hope for, such as if your opponent has a Dimensional Prison or Compulsory Evacuation Device (for example) you will gain nothing from this card.
Regardless though using this card in this way is what I’d suggest is the best way to maximise this cards effect since you are in control.
 
The other way to use it is to Summon it in DEF and wait for your opponent to destroy it during their turn for you, the biggest issue with this however is that you will be giving your opponent the opportunity to choose how to best play around this cards effect as well as giving them just a little more time to deal with the monster that gets Summoned via Samsara’s effect. Plus your opponent can simply choose to not attack or destroy Samsara as well.
 
Interestingly enough, if you already have a Samsara in your Graveyard you can form what is effectively a “Mini-Loop” with this card by Summoning that one. Then as long as that Samsara is not destroyed during that same turn, you’ll be able to use the effect of Samsara the next turn (or later) and can keep a monster on the field.. At worst you can use it to block 2 attacks!
 
 
This card could find some uses in Synchron Decks since Level 5 monsters are so easily able to be Summoned with Junk Synchron, it may also find some niche uses against some Meta Decks by being used to pinch one of their “Bosses” that has been sent to the Graveyard. Against Shaddolls pinching their Winda or Construct could prove to be quite useful and grabbing something as unlikely as a BLS – EotB could prove to be a game winning move. Even against Lightsworn removing what would otherwise be a name could offset the Summon of Judgment Dragon by a turn, and if your Deck benefits from milling it may help you out further. Also some monsters gain Graveyard effects during the End Phase when in the Graveyard, removing one of those monsters for effectively a turn could also be enough to disrupt your opponent.
All in all, this card may provide some opportunities for you to create some quite interesting and possibly even game changing plays, however it really is all going to come down to how and when you Summon this card and how you choose to utilise this cards effect.
 
Traditional: 1. I really see no way to fully capitalise on this card here, and if you are to Summon into a Level 5 Synchro realistically I’d expect that Summon to be best served by Summoning T.G. Hyper Librarian.
 
Advanced: 2.5. Potentially very useful, however using it most effectively is what I see as being the biggest challenge, and this will make it’s effect hard to really capitalise on, but if you can (which will be rarely) you could gain large rewards from it.

Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth

After a bit of a break we are back, looking at some more cards from Duellist Alliance. Starting off with a new Synchro monster Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth.
 
Statwise Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth is a generic level 5 synchro monster, which is good as there are plenty of ways of getting out generic level 5 synchro monsters. It is a DARK/Dragon which is good with 100 ATK and 2600 DEF, so it’s an old fashioned High DEF/Low ATK monsters. Of course since it does only have 100 ATK you can use cards like Limit Reverse to bring it back.

Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth effect happens when it is either destroyed by battle or sent to the graveyard by an opponent’s card effect. The best thing about this condition is that it doesn’t have to be destroyed by the opponent’s card effect to activate, if the opponent uses something like the effect of Number 50: Blackship of Corn, the effect still activates.
Of course the effect allows you to Special Summon 1 monster (barring Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth, so you don’t get a loop) from either player’s graveyard. Yes it is Monster Reborn in Monster form and of course Monster Reborn is one of the most powerful cards in the game and is currently banned, so this is a way of getting around it. The effect of course is amazing but the question is, it is worth the effort of Summoning a Synchro Monster? Generally it is, level 5 Synchro Monsters are easy to get out, you can reuse this card and you have the chance of using basically a Monster Reborn on your opponent’s turn.

Overall the actual monster is okay but the effect is great, just watch out for banishing cards and make sure you have room on your extra deck.

Traditional: 2.5/5
Advanced: 3.5/5

Hello Pojo Fans,
 
In a TCG where Extra Deck space is dominated almost entirely by Xyz monsters, Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth may not have a spot. The only level 5 Synchro consistently run is Ally of Justice Catastor (and for good reason). SDoR isn't going to win any battles, but whenever it reaches the grave because of your opponent (by battle or card effect) it is going to give you a free Monster Reborn, but only once per turn. While this is very handy, it likely isn't worth a spot in the Extra Deck. Its DEF will hold up against a lot of monsters, but SDoR likely won't see much playing time because Synchro monsters aren't played as much as they used to be and its low ATK. Catastor beats down everything except DARK monsters, is a level 5 Synchro with no specific requirements for summoning, and is a DARK himself, like Dargon of Rebirth.
 
SdoR isn't useless though, it needs to be in a decktype that will utilize it correctly. Lightpulsar gets another friend to loop with, complementing REDMD. Synchro Summoning Dragon of Rebirth late in a game could put your opponent in a difficult position, as its defense likely would come into play more in a top-decking situation, and the thought of a boss monster they have being used against them could spell disaster.
 
Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth is a monster that could be useful to those players using Tuners and Synchro monsters in their deck builds. While not for every deck, it isn't useless and could be something to experiment with to see if it works.
 
Traditional-2.5/5-More ways to Special Summon it
Advanced-2/5- Still ways to Special Summon it, but less likelihood of using it
Art-3/5
 
Until Next Time
KingofLullaby

I’m glad we got Samsara, Dragon of Rebirth, but not for its effect. Surprisingly, this card was left uneditied for the TCG, and I for one couldn’t be happier. The art’s beautiful from top to bottom, but unfortunately that’s about its only strength.
 
Its DEF isn’t terrible, but 100 ATK is downright atrocious for a Level 5 Synchro monster. Being completely honest, its effect is ridiculously underwhelming. I mean, who doesn’t like a Monster Reborn on legs, but the amount of effort you have to input for effect just isn’t worth it. Even using a monster like Debris Dragon for the Synchro Summon, you’ll have to take a ton of damage if you want Samsara’s effect to trigger on your turn.
 
Maybe you’ll crash Samsara into a monster and steal a Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning and finish the duel that way, but this card really only shines because it’s a Level 5 generic Dragon-type Synchro monster. The effect’s virtually moot in competitive play, especially with no realistic way to make it.
 
Traditional – 1/5
Advanced – 1.5/5