Tricks

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Overview

There are five main types of arguments that are usually considered tricks; theory spikes, aprioris, nibs, burdens, and triggers.

Theory Spikes

Theory spikes are preemptive paradigm issues usually linked back to fairness and education usually read in the 1ac. They can be offensive in that they say the negative should lose for doing something IE “the negative must not read a conditional counterplan”, defensive in that they logically constrain what is allowed IE “theory is incoherent” “Kritiks dont negate”, and spikes that the give the aff the ability to do something IE “I get new 2ar arguments”.

A Prioris

Aprioris are arguments that automatically prove the resolution true regardless of substantive negative arguments IE “resolved means firmly determined, so the resolution is already determined”. They usually rely on a Truth Testing role of the ballot which states that the judge most vote for the debater who proves the truth or falsity of the resolution.

NIBs

NIBS are “Necessary but Insufficient Burdens”, which are offense for one debater, but not the other. For example if the neg says “the resolution is impossible”, proving that the resolution is impossible is a reason to vote negative, but the aff proving the resolution is possible is not a reason to vote affirmative. They are strategic because they require the other debater to answer the argument, which wastes their time, but they are not turnable.

Burdens

Burdens are framing mechanisms which restrict what offense matters in the round but are not philosophical frameworks in the traditional sense. Instead they are usually impact justified through theory, logic, and education. One example of a burden is log con IE “The aff burden is to prove the resolution is likely to happen, while the neg burden is to deny this”.

Triggers

Triggers are arguments that become activated in the second speech based upon how the other debater responds to the case. For example, if the aff framework says “only my theory of ethics makes morality possible” and the neg proves their framework false, the aff would trigger skep because only their framework allows for morality, but because their framework is false, that entails morality doesn't exist.

Another type of trigger used in tricks debate is a contingent standard, in which a debater (usually the aff) kicks out their main framework into a separate one. For example, if the aff reads a Kant framework and the negative proves their theory about not restricting freedom false, but concedes that the nature of practical reason makes contradictions impossible, the aff can kick out of defending that violations of freedom are bad and solely go for offense based on the fact the negative creates an logical contradiction.