Genesect really is unlike any other pokemon OU has experienced. It contains a certain versatility and unpredictability that is quite outstanding. It can run Scarf, Band, Specs, Life Orb, and Expert belt, while also having access to moves such as U-turn, Iron Head, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Ice beam, and more. The ability to utilize so many different options makes switching into this pokemon very difficult at times, and you would probably be accurate in saying that there are no 100% full counters to Genesect. Now, while Genesect has amazing versatility and the theoretical ability to kill all of its primary switchins with the appropriate coverage move, this doesn't necessarily make it ban-worthy. If you look at the counterplay that exists for Genesect instead of the raw counters, you'll see that beating it in practice isn't as difficult as it may seem on paper. Additionally, it is crucial to consider the metagame at large and how a ban would affect it when voting in a suspect test. Considering the aforementioned notions, I will be voting Do Not Ban.



Genesect may have no perfect switchins, but it can definitely be beaten in a reasonable way. Firstly, there are many pokemon that can more often than not switch in safely. Pokemon such as Heatran, Marowak-A, Toxapex, and Mantine can switch into all sets besides mixed hpground/tbolt ones. Even something like an Amoonguss comes into and scouts a choiced set handily, and if you figure out its CB then you can use Lando-T as a switchin for example. In general, choiced sets really aren't broken in the slightest as Genesect locked into anything can be abused quite easily. Even U-turn, which many people claim as overwhelming, isn't risk free. If the pokemon that Gene is in vs (let's say Keldeo) isn't bug weak then the pokemon coming into Keld after a U-turn still has to take a hit and Keld wont take that much in the process. Additionally, there are the prevalent Rocky Helmet Ground types, as well as Regen mons like Torn-T that don't mind U-turn at all. So, in terms of pure defensive counterplay, mixed sets with hpground/tbolt are probably the hardest to beat. There is, however, an important tradeoff involved in using such a Genesect set. When Gene is forced to drop a Scarf and even Espeed, it becomes increasingly easier to revenge kill and/or abuse offensively. Considering there's Life Orb recoil and a -def/spdef nature, grouped with a lack of great raw speed, Genesect is beaten by myriad offensive pokemon - examples include Tapu Koko, Greninja, Pheromosa, and the Zards. Another method of beating Gene, which is certainly underutilized at the moment, is that of trapping. In fact, all of Magnet Pull, Pursuit, and Arena Trap can potentially trap the right Gene set. Magnezone traps any choiced Genesect, and can also use scarf to beat mixed ones. Band TTar lives non-downloaded U-turns and Weavile can also trap a slower set. Lastly, CB Dugtrio can pick off a slower Gene that has taken very minor prior damage. So, despite the lack of pure hard counters, there are still many viable countermeasures to Genesect.



From a sort of philosophical standpoint, it is important to assess what we really want from our tiers. Given that this is a new generation for OU and for Smogon as a whole, perhaps we can tweak our understanding of ideal tiering. If you go by the standard current banning philosophy (that I and many others took part in during ORAS), then Genesect can potentially be deemed broken as it is versatile + lacks real counters, or "can beat all styles". However, we have to ask ourselves if banning Genesect improves the metagame, which is the reason we have this tiering in the first place. I, for one, believe that Genesect's influence on the metagame is indeed healthy and should be preserved at all costs. What Genesect does is force a certain creativity and activeness that we would lose with its ban. The mere fact that there are no 100% safe counters means that people need to be creative to beat things, instead of just trying to wall everything. When you have a metagame that revolves around only hard countering things, it becomes increasingly stale and matchup based. With Genesect allowed, and thus the pressure to be more unorthodox or active in beating certain pokemon like Gene, the tier is able to flourish with creativity. One can view this as overcentralization, but the degree to which Gene influences the tier seems less like a hindering force and more like a healthy stimulant.



Going forward, I hope that the OU community is brave enough to experience a metagame where we don't ban pokemon just because they're tough to switch into. There are more factors at play here, and while it may seem difficult to get through at first, it'll be worth it in the end.