They are supposed to be easing up on the coil lockout somehow in 2.45 I believe. Something about you can repeat previous turns but having people that have previously cleared for the week reduces the chance of items dropping, and I'm assuming a full party of people that have won for the week means nothing drops.

As far as gearing up with stones it's just up to you to prioritize. I try to beeline for the stuff that will very likely be BiS and spread it around the 3 jobs I try to play the most.