Hey
Quick lore question about Orc clans, can both Mag’har and tainted orcs be part of any of the know orcish clans (Warsong, Frostwolves, Bleeding Hollow etc…) or are some of the clans exclusive to Mag’har orcs?
You can of any clan you wish, but there are certain tainted only orcish clans.
Any orc can be of any clan but they all have different fates depending on whether they are AU (alternate universe) or MU (Main Universe).
Pick whatever clan you like but make sure you research the clans history and that it all adds up.
Some MU clans only came to be after the orcs were fel-ified, and therefore are unlikely to have existed in the AU, like Black Tooth Grin, Stormreaver, Necrolyte, Searing Blade, Warlock and Kil’sorrow. It is unknown whether the Rageroar clan existed back on Draenor, as the clan was first introduced in the Barrens in Cataclysm, and does not have a lot of lore. There has never been a mention of an AU Twilight’s Hammer clan, either.
A MU orc, unless Mag’har, is more likely to be part of certain clans than others. Of the named clans, I believe most would be Frostwolf, Blackrock, or Warsong, as most other named clans had retreated back to Draenor prior to the closing of the Dark Portal. Mind, that does not mean you cannot play an orc from one of those other clans.
Bleeding Hollow, too. They fled back to Azeroth, where they were promptly captured and imprisoned by the Alliance. Given that the Frostwolves, Blackrocks and Warsongs by and large avoided captivity; the Blackrocks themselves making the bulk of the Dark Horde, the Bleeding Hollow’s capture might as well have been a leading reason behind the orcs losing their clan identities.
The Blackrocks grew evermore corrupted, the Frostwolves dwindled due to treason but otherwise remained safe due to their exile, the Warsongs were dying off due to lethargy and eventually got themselves corrupted again, but their culture and identity survived. That of the Bleeding Hollow was snuffed out due to the internment camps.
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One of my least favourite bits of orcish lore. 
Durotar would have been so much cooler if it was led by an orcish council with representatives from the various clans, bickering amongst themselves, rather than… whatever leads the country now. RIP that idea now that a council leads the Horde, though.
As for the Blackrocks, it’s my headcanon that the clan was essentially divided into two different clans of the same name, one furthering its dedication to its demon masters under the leadership of Jubei’Thos, the other aligning itself with Nefarian under the leadership of Blackhand’s sons.
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It is a bit weird that centuries of culture, history and traditions were wiped out within less than a decade when so many older generations still lived.
More or less canon, tbf.
If the clan identities have been more or less washed away, would it make sense to take time and choose a clan for our Orc characters?
They can still have a clan of origin, my maghar from Outland was born into the Frostwolf clan despite him being raise among survivors of many other clans.
With all these answers I will also add the possibility that your orc simply doesn’t know which clan they’re from. A bit easier for a younger orc of course.
And with AU orcs, while having their clan identities, are very much for the Mag’har as a “faction”. Honouring the tradition, protecting the orc.
One clan who would be exclusive though, would be the mok’nathal. And I don’t know much about them, but I think they’re at least 98% halfbreeds of orc and ogre. And over the years I can’t say how their numbers would be.
Thrall’s cultural revolution doing away with the old to… reestablish the older? And yet the orcs got rid of their WC1/nagrand pottery style buildings. Let’s see some fresh HD versions of that.
Notably both the new orc horde and mag’har deny wider clan identity as one united clan. It was Thrall’s ideal for unity among the green orcs and the brown ones identify as The Mag’har, proudly being one clan since Grom united them on draenor/the whole red pox thing depending on your universe of choice.
Curiously this is ignored as clans are still obviously a thing with a warsong army pillaging ashenvale and thrall himself being a proud frostwolf. They tried for a unified orc nation and failed.
My head cannon tends to assume that the Warchief title was for wartime persecution and therefore Blackhand through to Sylvanas are legitimate continuations of the horde tradition. They have been at war for the entire time except maybe during the internment period before Moses took them over the sea to Durotar.
I read an amusing article suggesting that the continuation of the warchief and de-facto war time footing is due to the lack of political experience of most of the current leaders. There are enough independent orc clans around to suggest that this is still the status quo.
On the racial element of the current council, I assume by the make up of the old horde (Ogres, Mok’Nathal, Orcs, half orcs) that the current council is a return to a non-war footing. The Council was not pure orc in the past so having integrated races represented on the council would be normal.
Pure orcish horde (run by an orcish council) is more of a Garrosh sentiment. Even the shadow council had non orcs.
All of which do manage to retain their clan traditions and culture, even though they’ve done so as part of the larger, united Mag’har.
But to be fair, in a certain way, you’ve hit the nail on the head with what you said here - there’s a Warsong army pillaging through Ashenvale, but it isn’t the Warsong Clan. There is a Frostwolf Clan fighting in Alterac, but they have grown to include much more races than simply orcs - there are even undead amongst them that have risen to high position.
Yet, even so, vestiges of the clans themselves survive there - as you said, Thrall is just one of many orcs that take immense pride in his heritage.
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