Tropical cyclone (TC) genesis requires both favorable environmental conditions and an initial disturbance, which, in the North Atlantic, is often an African easterly wave (AEW). Although many studies have examined how AEWs and the environment affect TC genesis, their relative importance is less understood. Here, we examine whether AEW characteristics or favorable environmental conditions are the primary drivers of TC genesis. Regional model simulations were performed for the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, which had below-average TCs with AEW origins and below-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the eastern Atlantic. This season was intentionally selected for the low number of TCs with AEW origins and the relatively unfavorable TC environment, so that it would be possible to enhance the AEWs and TC environment in our experiments. We ran 10-member ensembles of a control simulation and two experiments in which we increased AEW strength and SSTs, respectively. We then assessed how changes to the AEWs and the SSTs affected the frequency of AEWs that develop into TCs. Our results show that environmental favorability plays a more important role than the characteristics of the AEWs in driving the frequency of TCs with AEW origins. Strengthening the AEWs did not affect the frequency of TCs that develop into AEWs, likely due to the weak environmental favorability driven by cool SSTs and higher vertical wind shear. In contrast, warmer SSTs led to an overall increase in environmental favorability and a statistically significant increase in the total number of TCs and TCs with AEW origins. This research indicates that an increase in the strength of TC precursor disturbances does not necessarily lead to an increase in TC frequency, as environmental favorability is the dominant limiting factor.