Debate Tech Showcase: CardMirror, the Verbatim Replacement

"In the summertime, when the weather is high, you got debate technology on your mind" - Mungo Jerry?

Within the next weeks is the upcoming release of the 2026 Sept-Oct topic and the beginning of the 2026-2027 debate season. In the meantime, the debate coach Anthony Trufanov (otherwise known as Truf) released a free substitute and/or replacement for Verbatim called CardMirror.

To skip the hullabaloo about how great CardMirror is, skip the explanation below and download CardMirror at the GitHub link here.

Unlike Verbatim, which requires a Microsoft Word subscription in order to run VBA macros on a modified Word template, Card Mirror is a standalone program. This means if you've previously had troubles accessing Kankee Briefs on Google Docs or in the PDF format, downloading CardMirror would solve your technical and/or financial restraints.

Minimizing entry barriers to debate is vital, and Verbatim is so remarkably useful as a card cutting tool that I cannot imagine debate without it. Whether CardMirror is a superior version of Verbatim or merely a worthwhile substitute is up for you to decide, but I believed it worthwhile to showcase CardMirror due to how many low-income debaters are at a competitive disadvantage merely on this basis of affording software.

CardMirror helps address this inequity, which is why I am shouting out the program and Truf for making it both free to use and easily available on GitHub. I know very little about Truf besides his nuclear war/first strike good NDT exploits, but for this he deserves kudos.

Below is both an overview explanation of the program from Truf and a video explanation. Hopefully you find both or either useful. Enjoy.

Textual CardMirror Explanation

CardMirror is a free and open source replacement for Word and Verbatim. You can use it on Windows, Mac, Linux, or even your Chromebook. Since it is a standalone program instead of an add-in, you don't need to pay for Microsoft Office to use it.

It fully replaces the paid software you currently need for debate while retaining the ability to save documents that teammates, judges, and competitors can open in Word and Verbatim.

Advanced collaboration features - including Google Docs-like collaboration in one document, as well as the ability to send cards directly to your collaborators' editors—are free today but will require a paid Debate Decoded subscription once the software exits beta.

To learn more, click here for a short feature overview, click here to find the web app, or visit CardMirror's GitHub page for a detailed manual and installation instructions.

Video CardMirror Explanation

https://youtu.be/aTj-CdBppPY?si=fpgiED69F2wx5cCV