Thanks @Haskanael ! I ran into a similar problem when I come up against ANY CC army. Shooting I can handle with front AV14 but in CC anything hits rear armor either AV10 or AV11. So anything strength 4 or 5 has a chance to glance. Also scarabs glance on a 6, as do plaguebearers with "rust".

I like the idea of camo netting, then I can shoot and pop smoke in the same turn with the tank commander order, giving a 5+ but can that be used in close combat too?

With the new Emperor's Fist formation, GW is trying to make Guard a little more competitive so there has to be a way to stop models from getting so close. I always hear of bubble wrap but can't find an explanation of what it actually means.