Monster Reborn
Spell Card
SYE-029, Common

"Select 1 monster from either you or your opponent's Graveyard. Special Summon the selected monster on your side of the field."

Card Review
Monster Reborn was the best and most flexible card for reviving fallen monsters. It is one of the only resurrection cards which allow a monster to be summoned in either ATK or DEF position at your discretion, and except for Autonomous Action Unit, the only card that can revive an opponent's monster under your own control. This card was always considered one of the core staples, and the fact that it, along with a couple of other cards, comes in every single starter deck is an indication of how important it was considered to be. I give it a 10/10.

Why the Card is Banned
This card is primarily banned for its ability to access the opponent's Graveyard. There are still plenty of other ways to bring back your own monsters, so that's clearly not the issue. The ability to resurrect in either ATK or DEF position is helpful, but probably wouldn't make the card banworthy without being available in conjunction with access to the opponent's monsters. Far too many duels were being won by using mass destruction right after an opponent's big move, and then using Monster Reborn to steal their kingpin monster right out from underneath them.

Best Replacements
Call of the Haunted and Premature Burial are still two of the best lesser substitutes for this card, but there are also tons of other cards that can revive your own monsters, far too many for me to bother mentioning. If you want access to your opponent's Graveyard, you'll have to run Autonomous Action Unit -- as stated above, it is the only other card that can provide you with such power, and it does so at a cost.

My Opinion of the Ban
Definitely warranted, and it really doesn't hurt the game, with so many other resurrection methods available. It's easily replaced, and if your strategy is strong enough, you shouldn't worry about resurrecting your opponents' monsters.

Probability of Unbanning
This card is probably a permanent ban, although I wouldn't claim to be one hundred percent certain of that, as I am for yesterday's card. This card introduced a danger factor to running overly powerful monsters while not being too broken on its own, and with mass destruction being banned, it is a bit harder to simply wipe out your opponents' monsters and then steal them. This is a card I sometimes miss the challenge of facing.