I have 3 Armories now. Which Ancient Wonders would I need, and which Phoenixes should I look out for in the Magic Academy?
To start with:
Needles of Tempest (shortens Barracks training speed, increases Lt Ranged damage)
Martial Monastery (troops Health bonus)
Once you get through the first couple of guest races, you'll need to build some or all of the following:
Dwarven Bulwark (increases training size, produces Lt Melee units)
Heroes Forge (produces Orcs that you need to make Orc troops, and increases Heavy Melee damage)
Shrine of the Shroody Shrooms (increases training speed, produces Lt Ranged units)
Flying Academy (increases Merc Camp training speed, produces Mages)
Temple of the Toads (increases Hvy Ranged damage, produces Hvy Ranged units)
Now, as for Phoenixes and other Pets, the Fire Phoenix boosts damage for all units, the Brown Bear increases unit output from the training buildings. These are the only 2 Pets I know of, but there are usually event-specific buildings that can produce troops, as well as certain craftable things like Grounds of the Orc Strategist (that produce Orc Strategists) and the various expiring units (Magnificent Mage Multiplier is one) that boost your fighting results.