I have no idea why they went for creatures wearing hats specifically, but Id like to believe that Wizards just wants to stir a fuss and get players to fight over whether or not soldier helmets count as hats
Basilus is also able to work by itself in crustier situations
Between how explosive it is and the fact its on the Reserved List, its also become a seriously valuable card, and seeing it hit the table usually means someone is about to start to do big things
Warping for four mana ensures it'll leave the battlefield and trigger at the end of turn, while there's a chance it could stay stuck in play if you pay full whack
You can only use this effect of "Galaxy Soldier" once per turn
Of all the precons, Counter Blitz is clearly the most focused on a singular goal, and nearly all the card choices are aimed at synergy with its Counter theme