Regarding Froakie
There's been a lot of controversy about this guy--which is understandable, as the video may have left a lot unclear (as they did with each starter; to be honest, there's no objective way of determining any secondary types for any of the starters based on the teaser, because all PokeMon learn moves that aren't of their primary type/type-pairing), but there are a few things we can know
without a doubt about Froakie's eventual type-pairing.
Froakie will most likely
not be Water/Ice or Water/Flying.
Why?
Because no starter is given any type advantage over (not including move pool) that advantages it over the starter to which it is meant to be weak, or more precisely, the fully-evolved form of any starter will not have a type or type-pairing that advantages it over the fully-evolved starter of the type against which it was initially weak/ineffective (e.g., Charmander would never evolve into a PokeMon with a type/type-pairing that advantages it over Squirtle).
Let me break it down by generation to demonstrate why I think that:
Generation I
Venusaur (Grass/Poison):
- x2 Weakness to Fire (Super Effective)
- x2 Weakness to Flying (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Water (Not very effective)
Charizard (Fire/Flying):
- x2 Weakness to Water (Super Effective)
- x0.75 Resistance to Grass (Not very effective)
- x1 Resistance to Poison (No resistance/weakness)
Blastoise (Water):
- x2 Weakness to Grass (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Fire (Not very effective)
- x1 Resistance to Flying (No resistance/weakness)
So far, my hypothesis holds up. The Grass starter remains disadvantaged to the Fire and advantaged against Water, and so on.
Generation II
Meganium (Grass):
- x2 Weakness to Fire (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Water (Not very effective)
Typhlosion (Fire):
- x2 Weakness to Water (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Grass (Not very effective)
Feraligatr (Water):
- x2 Weakness to Grass (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Fire (Not very effective)
Again, with Generation II, my hypothesis holds up.
Generation III
Sceptile (Grass):
- x2 Weakness to Fire (Super Effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fighting (No resistance/weakness)
- x0.5 Resistance to Water (Not very effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Ground (Not very effective)
Blaziken (Fire/Fighting):
- x2 Weakness to Water (Super Effective)
- x2 Weakness to Ground (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Grass (Not very effective)
Swampert (Water/Ground):
- x4 Weakness to Grass (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Weakness to Fire (Not very effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fighting (No resistance/weakness)
My hypothesis still holds with Generation III, though Swampert's disadvantage against Sceptile is increased through evolution. This does not, however, affect the hypothesis I've set forth, as Swampert was always intended to be disadvantaged to Sceptile, meaning the balance remains Grass > Water > Fire > Grass.
(But here's where things get weird)
Generation IV
Torterra (Grass/Ground):
- x2 Weakness to Fire (Super Effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fighting (No resistance/weakness)
- x1 Resistance to Water (No resistance/weakness)
- x1 Resistance to Steel (No resistance/weakness)
Infernape (Fire/Fighting):
- x2 Weakness to Water (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Steel (Not very effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Grass (Not very effective)
- x2 Weakness to Ground (Super Effective)
Empoleon (Water/Steel):
- x1 Resistance to Grass (No resistance/weakness
- x2 Weakness to Ground (Super Effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fire (No resistance/weakness)
- x2 Weakness to Fighting (Super Effective)
Generation IV really pushes this hypothesis to its limits because it seems that the balance is broken. In fact, it's not--it's simply changed (dramatically). Now, Torterra loses its resistance to Empoleon, Empoleon loses its resistance to Infernape, and Infernape gains a weakness to Torterra while not gaining a resistance to Empoleon. In other words, they are balanced in that they are all capable of making super effective/unresisted hits on each other with attacks of their type. I know this seems like a stretch, but taking only into account
type-pairing, Generation IV remains balanced (though, perhaps overly so), because no starter gains a true type advantage against any of the others.
Generation V
Serperior (Grass):
- x2 Weakness to Fire (Super Effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fighting (No resistance/weakness)
- x0.5 Resistance to Water (Not very effective)
Emboar (Fire/Fighting):
- x2 Weakness to Water (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Resistance to Grass (Not very effective)
Samurott (Water):
- x2 Weakness to Grass (Super Effective)
- x0.5 Weakness to Fire (Not very effective)
- x1 Resistance to Fighting (No resistance/weakness)
Generation V regains the normal balance proposed in my hypothesis, with Grass > Water > Fire > Grass once again.
So, as I think I've demonstrated, it is
very unlikely, at best, that Froakie's fully evolved form will include a pairing of Water/Ice or Water/Flying unless Chespin were to gain a type-pairing of Grass/Steel (unless Froakie were Water/Ice and Chespin were Grass/Fighting, or, Froakie were Water/Flying and Chespin were Grass/Rock).