-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
The Top 10 Titans of the 5th Gen OU Metagame [VOTING OVER]
- Thread starter Gary
- Start date
I'd be inclined to say Ty-tar if it didn't have a nice 5-6 months of decline during BW2 so fuck that.
My vote goes to ferrothorn for being an excellent defensive pivot that had many key resists and the perfect movepool to abuse it. Ferro was a defining force throughout all of 5th gen which is more than the likes of tytar can claim.
My vote goes to ferrothorn for being an excellent defensive pivot that had many key resists and the perfect movepool to abuse it. Ferro was a defining force throughout all of 5th gen which is more than the likes of tytar can claim.
I'd like to say something about "*insert Pokemon A* was only OU for x number of months, he doesn't deserve a spot." I'm not saying this argument is entirely without base, but what we should be looking at more than that is the MAGNITUDE of their influence, not the DURATION of their influence. If that were the case, shit, Starmie or Gengar should rightfully be number 1, followed by Forretress and then Tyranitar. After all, we've had Starmie since RBY. (yes, I know this argument is a little fallacious, but I'm drawing that line of thought to its logical conclusion). Again, we should not be discounting a Pokemon like Genesect that so thoroughly throttled the metagame just because he wasn't active as long as some other Pokemon. He broke 50% usage. No other Pokemon has ever dominated the metagame like that. Personally, I don't think we're ever going to see another Pokemon do that, not one that is remotely OU. There was literally no team, even the most ardent stall team, that did not benefit from having Genesect on your team. And for that reason, I am voting Genesect for #2.
Yeah this thread is subjective as hell, but to me Politoed/Tyranitar are pretty obviously the number 1 and number 2
Tyranitar is the obvious #2 for me. Sand was much better than rain for almost all of BW1 (starting after the Thunderus-I ban), and continues to be the equal of rain to this day. It was a big contributor to banning Landorus-I from OU, and is an awesome mon in general, despite the prevalence of the pony. I would even argue that Tyranitar had more influence than Politoed if we ignore the Swift Swim era, because we are including Chomper and Excadrill era in this thread. Genesect was a nice Pokemon, but it wasn't in OU long enough to be greater than the utter domination of Sand for ages. Scizor, the perernial number 1 usage mon was very close, but it didn't quite make the cut because of it's lack of permanent support and the fact that it doesn't single-handedly define an archetype the way Tyranitar did with 5-second Sand Teams and KelTarDus. Pretty much the same logic applies for Ferrothorn, Genesect, and Excadrill, the only other mons for which you can even discuss being in the same league.
Tyranitar is the obvious #2 for me. Sand was much better than rain for almost all of BW1 (starting after the Thunderus-I ban), and continues to be the equal of rain to this day. It was a big contributor to banning Landorus-I from OU, and is an awesome mon in general, despite the prevalence of the pony. I would even argue that Tyranitar had more influence than Politoed if we ignore the Swift Swim era, because we are including Chomper and Excadrill era in this thread. Genesect was a nice Pokemon, but it wasn't in OU long enough to be greater than the utter domination of Sand for ages. Scizor, the perernial number 1 usage mon was very close, but it didn't quite make the cut because of it's lack of permanent support and the fact that it doesn't single-handedly define an archetype the way Tyranitar did with 5-second Sand Teams and KelTarDus. Pretty much the same logic applies for Ferrothorn, Genesect, and Excadrill, the only other mons for which you can even discuss being in the same league.
Last edited:
Okay, so I am going to vote for Latios for #2 most influential pokemon, but before I get to that, I'd like to address why I don't think that Tyranitar is a very good choice.
Tyranitar is a good pokemon. Fantastic, in fact. He's got a bunch of good sets he can run and is pretty clearly a top-tier threat...but this isn't about the best pokemon, this is the most influential. I think of "influential" meaning filling a unique role and forcing adaptations from the metagame in order to cope with the presence of a pokemon, and I don't think Tyranitar does that to the extent that others do. What does Tyranitar bring, on its own? The only role that Tyranitar and only Tyranitar fills is a powerful and bulky Pursuiter. In everything else, he has competition - Hippo as a defensive sand starter, Garchomp as a bulky offensive SR setter, Dragonite and more as a mixed lure, etc. Generally, Tyranitar is picked over one of these pokemon because of the extra, incidental benefit of sand. But as we all know, sand is not really an archetype on its own, but a reaction to the prevalence of Rain and Sun. The only dedicated sand teams (sand stall) almost universally use Hippowdon. In short, Tyranitar isn't an influence on the metagame, he's a reaction to the metagame. What does TTar influence? Well, Celebi runs Baton Pass and Latias/Starmie occasionally run Reflect Type. Other Psychic and Ghost types must be wary of being Pursuit trapped. But other than that, you don't really gameplan for Tyranitar - any other role that he fills is done just as well by something else that you're handling anyway. Meaning, if you can't handle Tyranitar's offensive presence, you're probably getting fucked by Terrakion anyway, etc. For that reason I wouldn't describe Tyranitar as influential to the metagame. An important component of it, but not something that changed it too much.
On the other hand, Latios brought a new breed of specially attacking power to the table for OU. For starters, every other top-tier Dragon type is pretty much always physically based. The only other one is Hydreigon, who has his own flaws. Meanwhile, Latios brings a metagame-defining 110 speed to the table (110 is a huge benchmark...mostly because of Latios) as well as a ridiculously powerful 130 base Special Attack. Latios marked the first time that the need for steel types extended to special walls, making more popular specially defensive Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Heatran. The additional wallbreaking power of STAB Psyshock and Trick made adaptation even more necessary, as sturdy special walls like the pink blobs, Rotom-W, Tentacruel, etc. no longer cut it. Also, Latios is pretty much the pinnacle of OU revenge killing, only recently challenged by Keldeo. The metagame reacts to Latios in a way that it doesn't to Tyranitar - it pushes the increased tempo of HO, prevalence of specially defensive steel types, and more specialized special walls - for those reasons, I'd call it the #2 most influential pokemon of BW.
Tyranitar is a good pokemon. Fantastic, in fact. He's got a bunch of good sets he can run and is pretty clearly a top-tier threat...but this isn't about the best pokemon, this is the most influential. I think of "influential" meaning filling a unique role and forcing adaptations from the metagame in order to cope with the presence of a pokemon, and I don't think Tyranitar does that to the extent that others do. What does Tyranitar bring, on its own? The only role that Tyranitar and only Tyranitar fills is a powerful and bulky Pursuiter. In everything else, he has competition - Hippo as a defensive sand starter, Garchomp as a bulky offensive SR setter, Dragonite and more as a mixed lure, etc. Generally, Tyranitar is picked over one of these pokemon because of the extra, incidental benefit of sand. But as we all know, sand is not really an archetype on its own, but a reaction to the prevalence of Rain and Sun. The only dedicated sand teams (sand stall) almost universally use Hippowdon. In short, Tyranitar isn't an influence on the metagame, he's a reaction to the metagame. What does TTar influence? Well, Celebi runs Baton Pass and Latias/Starmie occasionally run Reflect Type. Other Psychic and Ghost types must be wary of being Pursuit trapped. But other than that, you don't really gameplan for Tyranitar - any other role that he fills is done just as well by something else that you're handling anyway. Meaning, if you can't handle Tyranitar's offensive presence, you're probably getting fucked by Terrakion anyway, etc. For that reason I wouldn't describe Tyranitar as influential to the metagame. An important component of it, but not something that changed it too much.
On the other hand, Latios brought a new breed of specially attacking power to the table for OU. For starters, every other top-tier Dragon type is pretty much always physically based. The only other one is Hydreigon, who has his own flaws. Meanwhile, Latios brings a metagame-defining 110 speed to the table (110 is a huge benchmark...mostly because of Latios) as well as a ridiculously powerful 130 base Special Attack. Latios marked the first time that the need for steel types extended to special walls, making more popular specially defensive Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Heatran. The additional wallbreaking power of STAB Psyshock and Trick made adaptation even more necessary, as sturdy special walls like the pink blobs, Rotom-W, Tentacruel, etc. no longer cut it. Also, Latios is pretty much the pinnacle of OU revenge killing, only recently challenged by Keldeo. The metagame reacts to Latios in a way that it doesn't to Tyranitar - it pushes the increased tempo of HO, prevalence of specially defensive steel types, and more specialized special walls - for those reasons, I'd call it the #2 most influential pokemon of BW.
I'm voting Tyranitar.
I like Genesect as a candidate, don't get me wrong. I just don't feel it was around long enough for me to confidently vote for it for the #2 spot. Maybe further down the list, but for now, I do feel like Tyranitar has had a great impact on the game from the beginning. It's always been a powerful Pokemon with its excellent base 134 Atk stat and fantastic 100/110/100 bulk. More importantly, it brings Sand into the picture. Sand has always been a great weather in BW for the passive damage and use as a sort of anti-weather to help battle Rain and Sun teams. Tyranitar's Sand Stream also gives Tyranitar its own SpD boost, which makes it one of the best answers to Pokemon like Lati@s in the game, and even Terrakion can appreciate the SpD boost. A couple of other Pokemon such as Sand Rush Stoutland and Sand Force Landorus (during BW1) have made good use of the weather in their own ways. Like Politoed, Tyranitar has also assisted in the bans of a couple of other Pokemon. The Sandstorm Tyranitar provided was the breaking factor for both Garchomp in BW1, Sand Veil in general, and Excadrill. While it's true that Tyranitar isn't the only Sandstream user, it is the most popular by a good margin. Beyond Sand Stream, Tyranitar's excellent role as a Pursuit trapper helped influence Landorus-I's ban from OU mere months ago, and that same support is even used as an argument for Keldeo's ban as well.
Tyranitar has always been a great Pokemon, and it has left a lasting impact on OU since the beginning of BW.
I like Genesect as a candidate, don't get me wrong. I just don't feel it was around long enough for me to confidently vote for it for the #2 spot. Maybe further down the list, but for now, I do feel like Tyranitar has had a great impact on the game from the beginning. It's always been a powerful Pokemon with its excellent base 134 Atk stat and fantastic 100/110/100 bulk. More importantly, it brings Sand into the picture. Sand has always been a great weather in BW for the passive damage and use as a sort of anti-weather to help battle Rain and Sun teams. Tyranitar's Sand Stream also gives Tyranitar its own SpD boost, which makes it one of the best answers to Pokemon like Lati@s in the game, and even Terrakion can appreciate the SpD boost. A couple of other Pokemon such as Sand Rush Stoutland and Sand Force Landorus (during BW1) have made good use of the weather in their own ways. Like Politoed, Tyranitar has also assisted in the bans of a couple of other Pokemon. The Sandstorm Tyranitar provided was the breaking factor for both Garchomp in BW1, Sand Veil in general, and Excadrill. While it's true that Tyranitar isn't the only Sandstream user, it is the most popular by a good margin. Beyond Sand Stream, Tyranitar's excellent role as a Pursuit trapper helped influence Landorus-I's ban from OU mere months ago, and that same support is even used as an argument for Keldeo's ban as well.
Tyranitar has always been a great Pokemon, and it has left a lasting impact on OU since the beginning of BW.
Ttar the ability to keep rain off the field is invalauble nowadays
The fact that Genesect isn't #1 makes me question the legitimacy of this thread. Simply put, Genesect was the best pokemon to ever be allowed in OU. It could pretty much fit on any team and effectively run every single choice item (it wasn't even outclassed in any of them, since it had a CB U-turn that was more powerful than Scizor's for example) or it can sweep entire teams with the RP set.
Also, it was one of the few pokemon that could actually OHKO Deoxys-D and thus prevent hazards from being set. Not to mention the fact that it forced people to run a higher SpD than Def in order to not get swept.
Seriously, if Politoed is considered #1 titan of the OU metagame then Genesect must be Shingeki no Kyojin (<3 the series). Here's a quote that I find relevant:
There's a reason why Genesect had 50.549% usage in OU Suspect. In short, if you weren't using Genesect, you're doing it wrong.
Vote Genesect for #0
Also, it was one of the few pokemon that could actually OHKO Deoxys-D and thus prevent hazards from being set. Not to mention the fact that it forced people to run a higher SpD than Def in order to not get swept.
Seriously, if Politoed is considered #1 titan of the OU metagame then Genesect must be Shingeki no Kyojin (<3 the series). Here's a quote that I find relevant:
gr8astard said:
There's a reason why Genesect had 50.549% usage in OU Suspect. In short, if you weren't using Genesect, you're doing it wrong.
If someone found a way to make people immortal today, would that person have influenced the world the most? No. You have to take into account that there are people (in this case Pokemon) that existed before them that have influenced the world/meta. Time is the main factor in how much something or someone influenced something. Genesect wasn't given the time Politoed was, so it didn't leave as much as a mark. If Genesect had stayed in OU for longer, easy top 1. But the point is, didnt't. Time.
Even if Genesect did stay longer, Drizzle still made a much bigger mark than Genesect ever did.
Well that's a fallacy. Even though i wasnt here in Suspect Round 1, im pretty sure that sole 1-2 months of skymin, darkrai, deoxys-s, etc. turned the meta into an offensive black hole, and that would have continued happening had any of them stayed in OU, you can see the impact w/o staying time taking into account in the argument, and thats why i think gene was slightly more influencial than ttar.
I vote Tyranitar. He's just awesome, it's so versatile and brings sand which raises its special defense to unthinkable levels. The Choice Band set has very few safe switch-ins, scarf ttar is a good revenge killer, and sp.def ttar is an extreme wall that can also set up stealth rock and beat ferrothorn with Fire Blast.
I'll go out on a limb and vote for Garchomp.
Garchomp is kind of like Kingdra in that it would be banned to Ubers with a certain ability unlocked. That said, Garchomp has had a lot more opportunity to perform, prove itself, and dominate in OU than any of the Pokes currently banned to Ubers (except Landorus-I). It's the only Pokemon on this list to get not 1, but two suspect tests devoted just to it. (come on, you know gliscor and cacturn have nothing to do with the sand veil ban).
In Round 1 of BW OU, Garchomp might not have been the threat on top of everyone's mind, but it certainly could not be ignored. Its Speed, Power, bulk, and typing-- there was barely any reason NOT to use it on a team. Sun, Sand, or Rain, Garchomp was an invaluable asset-- especially AGAINST Sand teams. Garchomp was also the king Choice Scarfer for this whole first chapter of OU; prized for its Speed, power, bulk, and ability to beat Excadrill 1 on 1 if necessary.
Sand teams thrived especially as early threats were banned, though Hippowdon was nowhere to be seen-- this was certainly in part because Tyranitar had far more synergy with Garchomp (and Landorus-I); type-wise, and taking out Lati@s. Excadrill's typing is such that despite both being Ground-types, Garchomp and it share no weaknesses (and in fact, Garchomp resists Fire, where Excadrill resists Dragon), lending even more to Garchomp's inclusion in Sand teams.
Even after Excadrill got banned though, Garchomp proved to be too much with Sand Veil-- when it was at center stage, it really got the time to shine-- proving itself uncontrollable when backed by ttar hax. Garchomp got banned before C&C could even get its analysis on site (I should know... I was writing it... lol)
However, this was not to be the end of Garchomp's chapter in OU. With a Sand Veil test and ban, Garchomp was given the green light to once again go unleashed with its new ability-- Rough Skin. While decidedly deemed as a controllable Pokemon, excellent mix of power, speed, bulk, and awesome typing rivaled only by Keldeo continued to make it the standard to which all other OU pokes would be held.
It may have lost its title of best scarf user to Genesect, and later to Terrakion and Keldeo... It may have lost its seat as top Sand abuser to... well, there's no such thing as a Sand abuser now I guess (unless Terakion counts...)... and yet Garchomp continues to prove itself as a threat no one can ignore, always threatening to sweep, wallbreak, or simply start the game off right with SR followed by a massive offensive.
As a Pokemon that's been in and out of Ubers, and simply has a ton of face time in several key chapters of the 5th gen OU metagame, I think Garchomp deserves a shot at 2nd, or at least 3rd in the ranking.
Garchomp is kind of like Kingdra in that it would be banned to Ubers with a certain ability unlocked. That said, Garchomp has had a lot more opportunity to perform, prove itself, and dominate in OU than any of the Pokes currently banned to Ubers (except Landorus-I). It's the only Pokemon on this list to get not 1, but two suspect tests devoted just to it. (come on, you know gliscor and cacturn have nothing to do with the sand veil ban).
In Round 1 of BW OU, Garchomp might not have been the threat on top of everyone's mind, but it certainly could not be ignored. Its Speed, Power, bulk, and typing-- there was barely any reason NOT to use it on a team. Sun, Sand, or Rain, Garchomp was an invaluable asset-- especially AGAINST Sand teams. Garchomp was also the king Choice Scarfer for this whole first chapter of OU; prized for its Speed, power, bulk, and ability to beat Excadrill 1 on 1 if necessary.
Sand teams thrived especially as early threats were banned, though Hippowdon was nowhere to be seen-- this was certainly in part because Tyranitar had far more synergy with Garchomp (and Landorus-I); type-wise, and taking out Lati@s. Excadrill's typing is such that despite both being Ground-types, Garchomp and it share no weaknesses (and in fact, Garchomp resists Fire, where Excadrill resists Dragon), lending even more to Garchomp's inclusion in Sand teams.
Even after Excadrill got banned though, Garchomp proved to be too much with Sand Veil-- when it was at center stage, it really got the time to shine-- proving itself uncontrollable when backed by ttar hax. Garchomp got banned before C&C could even get its analysis on site (I should know... I was writing it... lol)
However, this was not to be the end of Garchomp's chapter in OU. With a Sand Veil test and ban, Garchomp was given the green light to once again go unleashed with its new ability-- Rough Skin. While decidedly deemed as a controllable Pokemon, excellent mix of power, speed, bulk, and awesome typing rivaled only by Keldeo continued to make it the standard to which all other OU pokes would be held.
It may have lost its title of best scarf user to Genesect, and later to Terrakion and Keldeo... It may have lost its seat as top Sand abuser to... well, there's no such thing as a Sand abuser now I guess (unless Terakion counts...)... and yet Garchomp continues to prove itself as a threat no one can ignore, always threatening to sweep, wallbreak, or simply start the game off right with SR followed by a massive offensive.
As a Pokemon that's been in and out of Ubers, and simply has a ton of face time in several key chapters of the 5th gen OU metagame, I think Garchomp deserves a shot at 2nd, or at least 3rd in the ranking.
Tyranitar, sand was fairly dominant in late BW1 and right now, and Pursuit Trapping has caused a lot of Pokemon to rethink their move sets or get rid if counters. Sand banned Excadrill and Pursuit from this thing has been mentioned in a lot of suspect tests. Fantastic ability, fantastic Pokemon, lots of influence.
Also idk why all of you guys are voting for gene as that thing was only around for a few months. It was really just "really good" kinda like Darkrai or something. I mean, other than running Heatran, was there truly a way to prepare for it, or was it just broken all the way? The latter doesn't cause an influence. I'm almost surprised that it got a nomination while Blaziken and our round 0 friends were unallowed tbh
Also idk why all of you guys are voting for gene as that thing was only around for a few months. It was really just "really good" kinda like Darkrai or something. I mean, other than running Heatran, was there truly a way to prepare for it, or was it just broken all the way? The latter doesn't cause an influence. I'm almost surprised that it got a nomination while Blaziken and our round 0 friends were unallowed tbh
Last edited:
Yes Genesect did influence the meta in its time, but it didn't last for that long. After it was banned, nothing really changed much from before Genes time. Dugtrio wasn't running around as usual, Heatran went back to its usual sets, teams that would've been weak to Genesect were being built again. The change was short term.
Last edited:
Haunter told me that he preferred the cutoff be Excadrill.
WILDCARD BITCHES
I think Gengar deserves a spot on this ballot. I asked Gary and he agrees. I'm not gonna have time to write up his nomination tonight, so if someone else wants to that's fine. Otherwise I'll probably write it up tomorrow. It's no biggie since obviously he's not gonna be like a top 5.
I think Gengar deserves a spot on this ballot. I asked Gary and he agrees. I'm not gonna have time to write up his nomination tonight, so if someone else wants to that's fine. Otherwise I'll probably write it up tomorrow. It's no biggie since obviously he's not gonna be like a top 5.
Tyranitar
Whereas Genesect dominated the meta for a while, that eventually caused a ban. I don't think he was around for long enough to be #2. Meanwhile, sand has consistently remained popular over the course of the meta and Tyranitar is the signature setter of it (although secretly Hippowdon > Tyranitar, but that's another discussion). While his weather wasn't as dominating and meta-shifting as Politoed's rain, it still did bring threats like Excadrill over to wreck shit. Tyranitar himself also provided a lot of help, being able to Pursuit trap prominent threats like Latias and Jellicent with a Choice Band Set, set SR and stick around for a while with a great defensive set, surprise people by outspeeding prominent threats using Choice Scarf, go mixed, et cetera. A very versatile mon and definitely one of the major forces of the OU meta (without him Jellicent and friends would be even better than they are now, can you imagine how awesome that'd be?)
Whereas Genesect dominated the meta for a while, that eventually caused a ban. I don't think he was around for long enough to be #2. Meanwhile, sand has consistently remained popular over the course of the meta and Tyranitar is the signature setter of it (although secretly Hippowdon > Tyranitar, but that's another discussion). While his weather wasn't as dominating and meta-shifting as Politoed's rain, it still did bring threats like Excadrill over to wreck shit. Tyranitar himself also provided a lot of help, being able to Pursuit trap prominent threats like Latias and Jellicent with a Choice Band Set, set SR and stick around for a while with a great defensive set, surprise people by outspeeding prominent threats using Choice Scarf, go mixed, et cetera. A very versatile mon and definitely one of the major forces of the OU meta (without him Jellicent and friends would be even better than they are now, can you imagine how awesome that'd be?)
Genesect
Genesect controlled the OU metagame completely, and it was easily one of the very best Pokemon OU has ever had. Genesect could do it all, it had very few limits to what it could do and not do. It could run CB, Specs, Scarf, RP, and Expert Belt. It had solid typing, great offenses, and the ability that made it all better. Genesect absolutely controlled and tamed the metagame while it was still OU, and it definitely deserves to be a choice for #2. Genesect dominated the metagame when it was in here, and it literally completely turned sets into relying on IVs and specific sets just to beat it. Genesect changed the metagame and controlled it for a shorter time than TTar for example, and although it did have a very short effect, it had a huge one while it was still around.
Genesect controlled the OU metagame completely, and it was easily one of the very best Pokemon OU has ever had. Genesect could do it all, it had very few limits to what it could do and not do. It could run CB, Specs, Scarf, RP, and Expert Belt. It had solid typing, great offenses, and the ability that made it all better. Genesect absolutely controlled and tamed the metagame while it was still OU, and it definitely deserves to be a choice for #2. Genesect dominated the metagame when it was in here, and it literally completely turned sets into relying on IVs and specific sets just to beat it. Genesect changed the metagame and controlled it for a shorter time than TTar for example, and although it did have a very short effect, it had a huge one while it was still around.
Ferrothorn is an obvious #2. Defensive mons have been edging closer to extinction and yet Ferrothorn stays right near or at the top of usage through ALL of gen 5. It is such a defining force that HP Grass, Ice and Electric of Gen 4 is mostly replaced by HP Fire to avoid being straight walled. Between Thunder Wave, Gyro Ball and Leech Seed Ferrothorn is unique from most walls in that it can screw over set up sweepers. Its typing, utility and bulk makes it a more common spike stacker than exceptional choices such as Skarmory and Forretress. Ferrothorn doesn't even have Taunt/Phazing or Rapid Spin and it is still more common. Speaking of Rapid Spin, its ability might seem worthless on sweepers, but Ferrothorn can manage to pseudo spinblock against things like Starmie and Donphan.
Now onto why Genesect, the popular choice, isn't quite #2. Genesect's biggest draw was how low the opportunity cost was to slap it on any team, not how meta defining or great it was. It only has one weakness and it can spam a powerful fast u-turn with a scarf. That's mostly what it did... U-Turn A LOT. Sure, some people used it for its RP sweeping potential, but the 50% usage stat is a gross misrepresentation. 80% of the time it was Scarf Genesect being used pretty poorly. You could bait it into being locked into resisted Ice Beam or stay in on a U-Turn and 2hko the switch in with a coverage move.
The only teams I found that were using Genesect very well were people who were to the point that they could use Rattata and make it through the ladder. So, although Genesect is very good and easy to fit on a team, I feel that even something such as Venusaur or Dragonite was a more consistent threat mainly just due to the learning curve difference.
Ferrothorn has usage, length at top spots, how good it is and consistency. Genesect just had how good it was and usage. I feel all four factors should play a part regardless of how extreme the usage was.
Now onto why Genesect, the popular choice, isn't quite #2. Genesect's biggest draw was how low the opportunity cost was to slap it on any team, not how meta defining or great it was. It only has one weakness and it can spam a powerful fast u-turn with a scarf. That's mostly what it did... U-Turn A LOT. Sure, some people used it for its RP sweeping potential, but the 50% usage stat is a gross misrepresentation. 80% of the time it was Scarf Genesect being used pretty poorly. You could bait it into being locked into resisted Ice Beam or stay in on a U-Turn and 2hko the switch in with a coverage move.
The only teams I found that were using Genesect very well were people who were to the point that they could use Rattata and make it through the ladder. So, although Genesect is very good and easy to fit on a team, I feel that even something such as Venusaur or Dragonite was a more consistent threat mainly just due to the learning curve difference.
Ferrothorn has usage, length at top spots, how good it is and consistency. Genesect just had how good it was and usage. I feel all four factors should play a part regardless of how extreme the usage was.