Pokemon comes to Belleville, Illinois!

The Pokemon phenomenon began in 1996 with a series of video games. It soon evolved to include cartoons, card games and feature movies. The excitement was said to have declined starting in 2002, but based on the attendance at the recent Belleville/O’Fallon city championships, you would never know. Fantasy books was approached by local Pokemon expert Vince Krekeler and long time fan Cory to bring the once very popular game back to Illinois.

"We were very excited to hear from Vince about hosting a city championship", said Tony Favello, co-owner of Fantasy Books and Fantasy Games. "Pokemon sales and support had declined with new games like Yu Gi Oh and Pirates attracting gamers."

With Vince and Cory helping to spread the word and with the article in the Belleville News Democrat, we were able to attract 100 players to the city championships. ( See the pictures here!) Kids, parents and adults all had a great time playing, sharing strategies and getting help from Vince to build an expert deck.

"We really hope this is the start of a resurgence of interest in the Pokemon franchise", said Tony. "It is a great game that has continued to evolve over time. There are new characters, new decks and still great games to play".

Based on the interest generated by the city championships and help from Vince, Cory and some parents we plan to start regular Pokemon play and possibly sanctioned league play. We will be having an EX Power Keepers Prerelease event at Fantasy Books, Belleville IL on Sunday Feb 11. The store opens at 11am and the event will start at 12N. Visit our website regularly for information on gaming and league play.

Check out St. Louis, Missouri's Pokemon Website