The first stage of the tournament "named after Van Kanigem"

I haven't noticed that trend.
He only built the last level of the magic tower after the minotaurs, and the minotaurs after the third level.
And if you come to him on the 13th turn, the tower is always fully built!

Added 5 minutes later

And what do you need gold and wood for?
For example, in my cities, I didn't build anything except the dock. I defeated everyone with djinns and joined troops.