Saladman posted:

"Any cool spots to recommend, anywhere I can play a game of magic the gathering".

But for OP, without knowing what you like hard to recommend. Fancy dining? Holes in the wall? Good views? Nice cafes? Hip cafes? Cats?

The general suggestion is to stay in Galata because there is something for everyone in and nearby Galata. Sultanahmet has cool museums and the grand bazaar and stuff but in terms of daily life more dull. Places like Bebek are nice and upscale but kind of far from tourist sites. The Asia side of Istanbul kind of sucks although it has some nice spots and things of interest.

Basically stay in and walk around Galata, or give much more specific info about what you like doing.

No clue about magic. I am sure Istanbul has a good nerd culture and I imagine that nerdier Istanbulians also tend to speak English. I also suspect that cards sold in draft tournaments will be printed in Turkish language there so that might make drafting hard unless you know all the cards just by picture, which I guess you might since I definitely did back in like 2001 or whenever it was I last played.

But anyway for where to stay the only answer is Galata. I stayed in Sisli last time I was there, with friends, and it was annoying to have to Uber to get anywhere, since traffic is godawful. The metro is good if you do need to stay further out to save $$, but if so make sure you’re right next to a good metro stop.