This Article is Primarily Written to Address Questions When You're Negative
Joana Arvanitis, March 3, 2020
Uniqueness: Uniqueness means if the disadvantage (DA) corresponds with what is happening in the status quo. It is typically the first card in a 1NC shell and it explains what is happening now regarding the focus of the DA whether it be about politics or the topic itself.
Link: The link describes how the aff generally effects the subject of the DA. When thinking about which DAs to include in a 1NC, it is important to consider which options have the strongest links to the aff with a bigger, more relevant and competitive impact.
Internal Link: The internal link demonstrates how the impact of the DA specifically happens as a result of the plan. The evidence used to support internal link claims typically are written as a "step by step" of why the plan specifically has an affect on the status quo.
Impact: The impact is the part of the DA that is most important to negative teams because it is what they are trying to leverage against the affirmative and use to mitigate the risk of the affirmative overall. It may be many things, but the most typical impacts seen in debate are nuclear war, disease, agriculture collapse, and economic decline.